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Episode 23: Don’t Rig Our Maps
During the rush to rig Congressional maps in May 2026, South Carolina delivered a rare piece of good news: We stopped the redistricting plan in its tracks (at least for now).
We’re still processing how it all went down, but we know that South Carolinians from across the state and political spectrum played a part. Beyond the headlines about Trump and national politics, the winners of the redistricting fight were South Carolina voters, first and foremost.
On today’s episode, Courtney Thomas and Matthew Butler from the ACLU-SC team join us to unpack how it all happened. If you would like to get involved in the struggle for representative democracy, we can always use your help. Fill out our Volunteer Interest Form, and we’ll be in touch: aclusc.org/volunteer
Music on today's episode is by Daft Hartley.
Immigration enforcement in South Carolina: What you need to know
ICE and local police are collaborating across the state. Be prepared, know your rights.
SC Public Interest Foundation v. McMaster
Twice in 2025, at the request of President Donald Trump, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster ordered hundreds of South Carolina National Guard members to deploy to Washington D.C. While the president claimed the purpose of his request was “to address the epidemic of crime in our Nation’s capital,” the facts did not bear that out. Violent crime was at a 30-year low in the District of Columbia.
During the second deployment, which was launched in December 2025 and estimated to last 90 days, Navy veteran James Weninger and the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation (SCPIF) filed a lawsuit asking the State Supreme Court to stop the deployment and bring the troops home from this blatant act of political theater.
The ACLU of South Carolina and Democracy Forward represent the plaintiffs in this case.
Press Releases
Jun 04, 2026
ACLU-SC seeking details after Abbeville immigration raid
Director responds after June 3 immigration arrests and June 4 attorney general's press conference
Featured Case
Violating the civil liberties of South Carolinians? We'll see y'all in court.
In the Courts
In the fall of 2025, four South Carolina lawmakers threatened to block state funds to the private Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., unless the college fired an English professor for her writing.
The professor, Dr. Emily Taylor, had published an essay titled “Dying to Be Men: American Masculinity as Death Cult” that was critical of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The essay concluded:
“I’m sorry for Charlie Kirk and all the other men like him that have been raised in this America and with these ideals of masculinity. I’m sorry that he decided to adopt this hateful ideology and to profit from it. And as the mother to a boy and a girl, my heart breaks for the America these children are growing up in. Here’s hoping we can save ourselves.”In response, State House Representative Luke S. Rankin* called for Dr. Taylor’s firing. He followed up that threat with a letter, co-signed by fellow State House Representatives Mark Willis, John McCravy, and Craig Gagnon, that threatened to block funds via the Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission unless the college fired her for her speech. On December 18, 2025, Dr. Taylor resigned because of the threats. On March 11, 2026, Dr. Taylor sued the four state lawmakers in U.S. District Court for what the lawsuit describes as “textbook, unconstitutional jawboning.” She is asking the court to declare the state lawmakers’ actions unconstitutional and order them to rescind their letter and threats. She also seeks compensation for back pay, lost benefits, and compensatory and punitive damages. She is represented in the case by the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina and by attorney Joshua Snow Kendrick of Kendrick & Leonard, P.C.
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