Alan Wilson was elected South Carolina’s 51st Attorney General on November 2, 2010, re-elected to a second term on November 4, 2014, re-elected to a third term on November 6, 2018, and re-elected to a fourth term on November 8, 2022. Since being elected, Wilson has focused on keeping South Carolina’s families safe, defending their freedom, and protecting their futures.
This marks his third stint in the office. Previously, he served as a prosecution division intern under Charlie Condon and as an Assistant Attorney General under Henry McMaster.
As South Carolina’s Attorney General, Wilson is the state’s chief prosecutor, chief securities officer, and the state’s chief legal counsel. The office is comprised of almost 300 employees and about 90 attorneys who manage nearly 8,000 active case files.
He has worked closely with the Attorney General’s office, the State Law Enforcement Division, every sheriff, the Police Chief’s Association, victim’s advocacy groups and all 16 solicitors.
Together, they are actively advancing legislative priorities to ensure South Carolina is the safest place to live, work, and raise a family. This coalition has been successful in passing crucial public safety legislation, such as the Ashley Hall bill, and Emma’s Law.
As Attorney General, Wilson has defended the Constitution and the laws of this state even if it means challenging the federal government. He has protected South Carolina’s right-to-work laws; helped lead the 26-state challenge to the federal health care mandate; successfully safeguarded South Carolina’s voter identification law; and fought to protect its immigration laws in court. Wilson works closely with other Attorneys General across the nation to protect the rule of law and defend the Constitution on issues such as Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, EPA overreach, Yucca Mountain, MOX Facility, Religious Freedom, and many others. He is currently fighting to protect the South Carolina coast from seismic testing and possible oil and gas exploration.
In 2012, he worked tirelessly with local legislators to strengthen South Carolina’s human trafficking laws. During that process, a Human Trafficking Task Force was established, which is chaired by the Attorney General’s office.
Because of these efforts, South Carolina has gone from having one of the worst statutes in the country, to one of the best.
In November 2013, and again in May 2021, Wilson was elected as Chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA).
Prior to his election, Wilson served as an Assistant Solicitor and as an Assistant Attorney General before entering private practice with the Columbia firm of Willoughby & Hoefer, P.A. He began his legal career working for the late Judge Marc H. Westbrook.
Wilson joined the National Guard immediately after graduating from college. He was called to serve in Iraq where he earned the Combat Action Badge. Today, he continues his military service as a Colonel in the South Carolina National Guard.
He is a graduate of Francis Marion University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Wilson and his wife, Jennifer, have two young children, Michael and Anna Grace.
An Attorney General’s opinion attempts to resolve questions of law as the author believes a court would decide the issue.
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