South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson can investigate S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell.
The ruling is a victory for Wilson in the legal ping-pong match between the Attorney General's (AG) office and Harrell.
The S.C. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on July 9, the AG is fully empowered to investigate wrongdoing wherever it may occur. The court said Wilson's power as AG is not limited because the investigation involves a legislator's ethical conduct.
The latest ruling by the state’s Supreme Court overturns a lower court's decision.
Richland County Circuit Judge Casey Manning ruled, in May, that allegations against Harrell must first be heard by the House Ethics Committee and not a grand jury.
The supreme court also returned the case to Manning to decide whether Wilson should be disqualified because Harrell, in March, accused Wilson's office of intimidation.
That could open a totally different avenue, if Manning rules in favor of Harrell, again.
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