Todd Rutherford facts for kids

James Todd Rutherford (born October 10, 1970) is an American politician from Columbia, South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party and serves in the South Carolina House of Representatives. He represents the 74th District and is also the Minority Leader of the House. This means he leads the members of his party in that part of the state government.

Early Life and Schooling

Todd Rutherford grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, and graduated from W.J. Keenan High School in 1988. He then went to college at Howard University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1992.

After college, he worked as a legislative assistant for Congressman Robin Tallon. This job gave him experience in how laws are made. Later, he decided to become a lawyer and earned a law degree, called a Juris Doctor, from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1996.

Career as a Lawyer

After finishing law school, Rutherford worked as a prosecutor in the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office. In this role, he helped represent the state in court cases. In 1998, he started his own law office, the Rutherford Law Firm.

Work in the South Carolina Government

In 1998, Todd Rutherford was elected to the South Carolina General Assembly, which is the state's lawmaking body. He has represented House District 74 ever since.

What does a state representative do?

As a state representative, Rutherford helps create and vote on laws that affect the people of South Carolina. He works with other lawmakers in different groups called committees. These committees focus on specific topics.

Over the years, he has been part of several important committees:

• Judiciary Committee: Works on laws related to the justice system and courts.
• Ways and Means Committee: Helps decide how the state government spends its money.
• Ethics Committee: Makes sure government officials follow the rules and act honestly.

In 1999, just one year after being elected, he was named Young Democrat of the Year.

Important Issues and Bills

Rutherford has worked on many important issues during his time in office.

In 2007, he introduced a bill to change the flag flown at the state capitol. He suggested replacing the Confederate battle flag with the official South Carolina state flag. While his bill didn't pass at the time, the Confederate flag was eventually removed in 2015.

He has also been a strong supporter of laws related to health care. In 2014, he introduced a bill called the "Put Patients First Act."

Leadership Roles

In 2013, Rutherford's fellow Democrats elected him as their Minority Leader in the House of Representatives. As the leader of the minority party, his job is to guide his party's members and speak for their ideas and goals. He was re-elected to this position in 2024.

Rutherford also helped start a group called the Freedom Caucus of South Carolina with other House members like Deon Tedder and Roger Kirby.