South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center

08/19/2026

We are thrilled to introduce Chris Truluck, as our new Litigator at SC Appleseed!

Chris is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer who has practiced in the courts of South Carolina for the better part of the last two decades and the federal courts since 2015 with a focus on criminal defense and civil rights violations. He is passionate about governmental accountability and creating systemic change through litigation.

Since 2008, he has been successful in trying criminal and civil cases in South Carolina, arguing before the South Carolina Supreme Court, litigating in the South Carolina District Court and arguing before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Many of those cases involved unlawful searches, seizures, or other constitutional violations of the rights of South Carolina’s citizens.

Chris is excited to join the SC Appleseed team to focus on identifying, and litigating, issues with the aim of improving the lives of low-income South Carolinians.

Welcome to the team, Chris!

Adam Protheroe, our longtime Litigation Attorney, will be moving forward as our Energy Policy Attorney and play a key role in expanding our work in the energy justice space. We are excited about our work ahead in both arenas!

08/18/2026

We firmly oppose the Dominion-NextEra merger.

We believe the proposed $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy by Florida-based NextEra Energy is a bad deal for South Carolina ratepayers. That is why we have intervened at the Public Service Commission to make sure that low-income customers have their interests protected.

If approved, this merger would create the largest private, regulated electric utility in the country, and place immense power in a company that seems more focused on maximizing profits than providing affordable, clean, and reliable energy to its customers.

NextEra announced this takeover effort weeks after Dominion was approved to raise its rates, right after Dominion was allowed to start building a $5 billion gas plant in Colleton County, and within days of the scheduled end of the legislative session. They’ve also asked for, and gotten, a fast-tracked schedule for the review of this takeover that makes it hard for South Carolinians to make sure that our interests are protected.

We're especially concerned because NextEra is not treating its current customers well. In 2024, Florida Power& Light (FPL), which NextEra owns, cut off power to its customers at over twice the rate that Dominion did in South Carolina and nearly four and a half times the rate of Duke Energy Carolinas (which serves the upstate). The following year, FPL pushed the Florida Public Service Commission to approve an $8.9 billion rate increase. They ultimately got an historic $6.9 billion rate increase that raised FPL's return on equity (profit) to 10.95 percent, higher than Dominion's and every other utility in the continental U.S. Even as customers struggle to keep up, NextEra banked more than $5 billion in profit last year and compensated its CEO nearly $25 million.

To accomplish this takeover, they’ve offered customers about a $10/month reduction in their energy bill, which that stops after two years. That doesn’t even offset Dominion’s $12/month rate increase that just took effect and gives us no protection against future rate increases.

As proposed, we believe the merger is not built to benefit South Carolina customers. Based on our review of the proposal and NextEra’s track record, we are deeply concerned this merger only stands to increase disconnections, worsen rising energy prices, and create one of the nation’s most powerful monopolies.

That’s why we oppose the merger and why we’re working to bring up these important issues before the Public Service Commission, before it’s too late. We invite all South Carolinians to stand with us, and we hope legislators will step up to protect South Carolina customers as well.

08/17/2026

We're excited to share that Senator Gerald Malloy has been selected by the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center's Board of Directors as our 2026 Advocate of the Year!

Senator Malloy will be honored with the Rev. Sen. Clementa C. Pinckney Award for Justice at a special reception beginning at 5:30PM on Thursday, October 22, 2026 celebrating his impact on justice and opportunity in South Carolina.

During his time in the legislature, Senator Malloy championed numerous issues that have long mattered to SC Appleseed, including criminal legal and juvenile justice reform, expungement expansion, hate crimes protections, and much more. A close friend of the late Senator Clementa Pinckney, his career reflects a lasting commitment to justice for South Carolinians.

We invite you to save the date to ensure you do not miss this exciting and special evening. We look forward to celebrating the incredible impact of Senator Gerald Malloy with you.

Ticket sales, sponsorship opportunities, and more details to come soon!

08/14/2026

Our Deputy Director Jennifer Rainville presented on education law with a wonderful group of future social workers at the USC School of Medicine - Center for Disability Resources trainee orientation this week! Thanks to the Center for the invite. ❤️

📸: photo provided by the Center.

08/12/2026

On Tuesday, our Deputy Director Jennifer Rainville and Law Clerk Elizabeth Buckner had the opportunity to share our Special Education Advocacy Training with members of the Family Connection of South Carolina team! Thank you to everyone who participated for a great day and thanks to Family Connections for having us!

08/05/2026

Last week our Founder/Director of Policy Sue Berkowitz joined a special panel discussion in Orangeburg hosted by the National Domestic Workesr Alliance and Care in Action. She spoke about the major healthcare challenges that state is currently facing and the steps needed to change course.

There are still many changes ahead that will greatly impact families across the state. Many immigrant families here legally will be facing Medicaid and CHIP restrictions starting this October. There will be more ACA and Medicaid changes going into 2026 as well. More details here: https://www.scjustice.org/immigration-healthcare-changes/

We’ll be updating on all of these changes as they come.

08/04/2026

"We've had instances where students borrow a parent's vehicle, and there's a firearm locked in the trunk or the glove compartment that the student didn't know about," Rainville said. "During a random search during the day, it's found, and that student is a good student but recommended for expulsion. Folks are like, 'Well, our hands are tied.' So this would change that part."

WLTX News19 Story: https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/new-law-schools-expulsions-threats-weapons-south-carolina/101-7a384b4b-3af1-4c1d-aaf9-d7252ab3d92a

Our Deputy Director Jennifer Rainville spoke with WLTX about the updated expulsion laws that are now in effect. These changes provide some more support for students in a few situations where expulsion would have otherwise immediately gone into effect. Back in June, Jennifer discussed the new changes in further detail. You can find her video here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JZ6TUp2ro/

The law, which is now in effect, updates state discipline policies while creating new standards for handling threats.

07/29/2026

THANK YOU to everyone who attended our third Special Education Advocate Training in Florence last week! We really appreciated everyone for taking the time to join our team for this information session and thankful to Florence Public Library for the wonderful space.

We are totally filled for our next training in Charleston, but we let everyone know of additional trainings ahead.

As we gear up for the new school year, we want to remind everyone that our parent guide for K-12 students is always available to help answer questions throughout the school year. You can find that here, in English and Spanish: https://www.scjustice.org/south-carolina-parent-guide-for-k-12-students/

07/28/2026

Our Founder/Director of Policy Sue Berkowitz spoke with WIS TV about the healthcare crisis South Carolinians are currently facing. Find the full interview here: https://www.wistv.com/2026/07/27/interview-finding-affordable-care-across-sc/

Please join Sue and our health team for a special Town Hall event in Orangeburg hosted by the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Care in Action this Thursday!

Sue will be talking more in-depth about the major healthcare challenges the state faces while our Story Collection Organizer Shatari Dunmore will be talking with individuals about how to get involved. The discussion will also feature Congressman Jim Clyburn. See details below on how to attend this free event and find the flyer in our comment below.

What: Care Crisis and Affordability of Care Town Hall
When: Thursday, July 30 from 10 AM to 12 PM
Where: Orangeburg Conference Center
1643 Russell Street
Orangeburg, SC 29115
Cost: Free
Food: Brunch will be served!

07/27/2026

Update: We are fully booked! Stay tuned for future training announcements.

We have our next Special Education Advocate Training date scheduled for Charleston on August 14th!

This free in-person training will help participants gain practical knowledge of federal and state special education law, the IEP process, and effective advocacy strategies, with a focus on supporting families who need it most.

Space is limited. Register soon to guarantee a spot: bit.ly/EdAdvocateTrainingCharleston

Charleston Training Information
When: August 14, 2026, 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Where: Keith Summey North Charleston Library, Community Room A
3503 Rivers Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
Registration (space limited): bit.ly/EdAdvocateTrainingCharleston