South Carolina State Treasurer Curtis Loftis Files Petition with State Supreme Court

Columbia, SC – Today, South Carolina State Treasurer Curtis Loftis announced that his attorneys have filed a Petition with the South Carolina Supreme Court to enjoin a State Senate hearing until the Court can weigh in on significant Constitutional issues.  

In this action, Treasurer Loftis challenges the Senate’s efforts to remove a Constitutional officer, elected on a statewide basis, using Article XV, Section 3 of the State Constitution.  The Petition requests a stay of the Senate hearing, currently set for April 21, 2025, and asks the Court to determine whether this Constitutional provision can be used to remove a State Treasurer.

The filing comes after State Senators initiated a rare “removal on address” hearing to consider removing Treasurer Loftis from office over a reported $1.8 billion accounting discrepancy in the Comptroller General’s accounting system.  The Senate’s stated procedures for the hearing allow no witnesses to be called, no objections to be made by the parties, and does not even establish requirements for a quorum of members to be present. 

“This injunction is about ensuring fairness, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law,” said Treasurer Loftis. “I am asking the Supreme Court to step in and clarify whether the Senate is authorized to overturn a state election using this provision. The people of South Carolina deserve a process that upholds the law and the democratic principles they have entrusted to us.”

Treasurer Loftis has consistently maintained that the Senate’s actions are politically motivated and lack merit. The $1.8 billion accounting issue, which has undergone extensive investigation, was determined by an independent audit to be the result of bookkeeping errors within the Comptroller General’s accounting system—not missing funds. These errors stemmed from a directive issued by the Comptroller’s Office to classify certain entries as cash, when in fact they represented “budget dollars,” not “real money.”

Treasurer Loftis has often reassured citizens that “there was no missing money, no misspent money and no stolen money.”

“We trust the Supreme Court will provide the guidance needed to resolve this matter justly,” Loftis added. “My focus remains on serving the people of South Carolina and safeguarding their financial interests, as I have done throughout my tenure.”