COLUMBIA — Three felony charges, including one for human trafficking, have sent a Newberry man to federal prison for 40 years. Eric Rashun Jones, 31, was sentenced after pleading guilty to human trafficking conspiracy, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and witness tampering, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina says. From August 2018 through November 2022, Jones violently exploited women in the commercial sex trade for financial gain, evidence presented in court showed. This included physical violence and force; some victims were bea ..read more

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country. The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use. The agency’s move, confirmed to ..read more

Several Republican state attorneys general are challenging a federal regulation that seeks to protect the rights of transgender students in the nation’s schools by banning blanket policies that bar transgender students from school bathrooms aligning with their gender, among other provisions. The officials argue the new policies would hurt women and girls, trample free speech rights and create burdens for the states, which are among those with laws adopted in recent years that conflict with the new regulations. “This is federal government overreach, but it’s of a degree and dimension like no o ..read more

The discovery of two explosive devices led Forest Acres police officers and Richland County bomb experts to a shed in the city Sunday. The police department in the city northeast of Columbia received a report about 4:30 p.m. that the devices had been found in a shed in the 1400 block of Idalia Drive, a department news release says. What officers found were an anti-tank weapon known as a “rocket-propelled grenade” and a mortar round. The discovery led officers to call the Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s bomb squad. Its members determined the RPG was inactive, but the mortar round could ..read more

PHOENIX — Prosecutors said Monday they will not retry an Arizona rancher whose trial in the fatal shooting of a Mexican man on his property ended last week with a deadlocked jury. The jurors in the trial of George Alan Kelly were unable to reach a unanimous decision on a verdict after more than two days of deliberation. Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Thomas Fink declared a mistrial on April 22. After the mistrial, the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office had the option to retry Kelly — or to drop the case. “Because of the unique circumstances and challenges surrounding this case, the S ..read more

AT A GLANCE The Uniform Bar Exam was given for the first time this year in February by the Board of Law Examiners. More than 100 candidates successfully completed the test. South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Staff The South Carolina Office of Bar Admissions and Board of Law Examiners have released the list of 104 candidates who passed the February administration of the bar exam. A scaled score of at least 266 was needed to pass the Uniform Bar Examination, a news release says. READ ALSO Bar exam: Candidates clear hurdle before legal career Bar exam pass rates remain strong in COVID era The s ..read more

A mock trial competition at Charleston School of Law will take a unique route, one with ties to the historic port’s long maritime tradition. “We’re excited to be able to expose students from around the country to the court-martial process and provide them the opportunity to try a court-martial case.” Larry Cunningham,Charleston Law dean The school and the Coast Guard have formed a partnership to create a first-in-the-nation competition based on courts-martial, a release from the school says. The competition will begin at the law school, and the final rounds will be held at the maritime serv ..read more

By Ioannis Pashakis The U.S. Chamber of Commerce moved to challenge the Federal Trade Commission’s new ruling that bans almost all noncompete agreements. The ruling, voted 3-2 by the FTC and announced Tuesday, requires companies with existing noncompete agreements to inform current and past employees that they will not enforce those agreements. The Chamber’s lawsuit, filed Wednesday in a Texas federal court, alleges that the FTC lacks the power to adopt the rule. The Chamber called the ruling a dangerous precedent for government micromanagement of business. “The Federal Trade Commission’s dec ..read more

NEW YORK — #MeToo founder Tarana Burke has heard it before. Every time there’s a legal setback, the movement is declared dead in the water. A legal success, and presto, it’s alive again. So Burke, who nearly two decades ago coined the phrase “Me too” from her work with sexual assault survivors, found herself again declaring after New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction: The #MeToo reckoning is greater than any court case. It’s still there, and it’s working. The most obvious proof, Burke said: “Ten years ago we could not get a man like Harvey Wei ..read more

AT A GLANCE Marquand Jerome Newell, 41, was sentenced April 18 on two sentences totaling 117 months. The sentences are to run consecutively. Dillon County sheriff’s deputies seized marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl and a loaded pistol. FLORENCE — Drug distribution and gun charges are sending a Mullins man to federal prison for almost 10 years, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina says. READ ALSO Bill bars marijuana smell as basis for vehicle search Opinion digest: Criminal Practice – Domestic Violence – Res Gestae ..read more