The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that legislators violated the state constitution by approving an $18,000 pay raise for themselves this year, striking down both the increase and a $12,000 annual “in-district” expense allowance that lawmakers have received since 1994.
In its unanimous opinion, the court found that the General Assembly’s 2025 budget clause granting higher in-district compensation effectively raised lawmakers’ pay mid-session — an act explicitly banned by the state constitution. The ruling immediately halts those payments, delivering a financial setback to state legislators and eliminating allowances that have been part of their compensation for more than 30 years.
The justices emphasized that any future pay adjustments must take effect only after the next election cycle, meaning the earliest lawful increase could begin in 2027.
For voters, the decision highlights a rare judicial check on legislative authority and renews scrutiny of how public officials structure compensation within state budgets. Lawmakers who supported the raise argued it was overdue given inflation and rising demands of public service, but the court ruled that good intentions cannot override constitutional limits.
The order takes effect immediately, nullifying both the recent raise and decades of in-district payments.
