COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court has temporarily ordered judges to stop issuing “no-knock” search warrants.
The court announcement on Friday said circuit and summary judges cannot sign off on the warrants until they receive further instruction on how to issue the warrants from the state’s judicial branch.
The order says that most magistrates do not understand the gravity of the warrants. The court acknowledged the dangers executing such warrants can pose to both members of the public and to law enforcement.
“No-knock” warrants have come under scrutiny nationwide following the police killing in March of Breonna Taylor, a Louisville, Kentucky, woman.