Chief Appellate Defender Robert Michael Dudek, of Columbia, for Appellant. General Counsel Matthew C. Buchanan, of Columbia, for Respondent.

Following Grady v. North Carolina, 135 S. Ct. 1368 (2015) (per curiam), the Court considers whether an individualized hearing is required before imposing "mandatory" GPS monitoring upon a sex offender pursuant to section 23-3-540(A) of the South Carolina Code, and whether the petitioner received such a hearing in this case.

Appellate Defender David Alexander and Appellate Defender Jennifer Roberts, both of Columbia, for Petitioner. Attorney General Alan McCrory Wilson and Assistant Attorney General William M. Blitch, Jr., both of Columbia, for Respondent.

In this criminal case, Daniel Hamrick appeals his conviction of felony driving under the influence with great bodily injury. Hamrick argues the circuit court erred in (1) denying his motion to suppress the results of his blood test because the fact that police believed alcohol was in his blood stream did not create a per se exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement, (2) denying his motion to suppress the results of his blood test because police did not draw his blood within the three-hour statutory timeframe, (3) allowing Officer Andrew Harris to testify about an experiment he conducted when Officer Harris was not qualified as an expert, and (4) disallowing into evidence an experiment conducted by Hamrick's expert in accident reconstruction.

Appellate Defender Victor Seeger, of Columbia, for Petitioner-Respondent. Attorney General Alan Wilson, Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General J. Benjamin Aplin, both of Columbia and Solicitor J. Strom Thurmond, Jr., of Aiken, for Respondent-Petitioner.

The Court granted petitions by Stephon Robinson and the State for writs of certiorari to review the court of appeals' decision in State v. Robinson, Op. No. 2017-UP-065 (S.C. Ct. App. filed Feb. 1, 2017), in which the court of appeals found error in the trial court's application of two of the five factors enumerated in State v. Colf, 337 S.C. 622, 525 S.E.2d 246 (2000), but concluded any error in the admission of Robinson's prior convictions was harmless.

Bruce W. Bannister and Luke A. Burke, both of Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC, of Greenville, for Petitioner. David M. Yokel, of Greenville, for Respondent.

We granted certiorari to determine whether the family court's award of alimony was proper.

Ronnie L. Crosby, of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick, of Hampton and Kathleen C. Barnes, of Barnes Law Firm, LLC, of Hampton, for Plaintiffs. J. Kenneth Carter, Jr. and Carmelo B. Sammataro, both of Turner Padget Graham & Laney, P.A., of Columbia, Adam H. Charnes and Thurston H. Webb, both of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for Defendant. Steve A. Matthews, of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P. A., of Columbia and Victor E. Schwartz, Cary Silverman and Phil Goldberg, all of Shook Hardy & Bacon, LLP, of Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae, The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Inc. Frank L. Eppes, of Eppes & Plumblee, of Greenville for Amicus Curiae, South Carolina Association for Justice. Gray T. Culbreath and Jessica A. Waller, both of Gallivan White and Boyd, P.A., of Columbia, for Amicus Curiae, Product Liability Advisory Council, Inc.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit asks this Court to determine: (1) whether South Carolina recognizes an "uncontrollable impulse" exception to the general rule that suicide breaks the causal chain for wrongful death claims, and if so, what is required to satisfy causation under the exception; and (2) whether comparative negligence in causing enhanced injuries applies in a crashworthiness case when the plaintiff alleges claims of strict liability and breach of warranty and is seeking damages related only to the plaintiff's enhanced injuries.

Attorney General Alan Wilson, Senior Assistant Attorney General David Spencer and Interim Solicitor Heather S. Weiss, all of Columbia, for Petitioner. Appellate Defender LaNelle Cantey Durant, of Columbia, for Respondent.

Eric Terrell Spears was convicted of trafficking crack cocaine between ten and twenty-eight grams. The court of appeals reversed, finding the trial court improperly denied Spears' motion to suppress the drug evidence. State v. Spears, 420 S.C. 363, 802 S.E.2d 803 (Ct. App. 2017). We granted the State's petition for a writ of certiorari to review the court of appeals' decision.

Deputy Chief Appellate Defender Wanda H. Carter, of Columbia, for Petitioner. Attorney General Alan McCrory Wilson and Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General Deborah R.J. Shupe, both of Columbia, for Respondent.

The Court granted certiorari to review the Court of Appeals' decision in In re the Care and Treatment of Miller, Op. No. 2017-UP-137 (S.C. Ct. App. filed Apr. 5, 2017), in which the Court of Appeals affirmed Petitioner's commitment under the South Carolina Sexually Violent Predator Act. Petitioner asserts the Court of Appeals erred because the trial court improperly admitted testimony regarding Petitioner's prior charges and convictions for non-sexual conduct.

Stephen L. Brown and Russell G. Hines, both of Young Clement Rivers, LLP, of Charleston, for Petitioners. David C. Cleveland and Michael L. Leech, both of Clawson and Staubes, LLC, of Charleston, for Respondents.

The issue in this defamation action is whether the court of appeals erred in affirming the trial court's decision to charge self-defense; specifically, the petitioners assert that self-defense is not an absolute defense to slander per se, that provocation is distinct from self-defense, and that provocation deals with mitigation, rather than liability.

Appellate Defender Susan Barber Hackett, of Columbia, for Petitioner. Attorney General Alan McCrory Wilson, Deputy Attorney General Donald J. Zelenka, Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General Melody Jane Brown and Assistant Attorney General Susannah Rawl Cole, all of Columbia; and Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson, of Charleston, for Respondent.

Petitioner was found guilty of murder. This Court reviews whether the Court of Appeals erred in affirming the trial court's denial of Petitioner's request for immunity from prosecution under the Protection of Persons and Property Act.

Appellate Defender Lara M. Caudy, of Columbia, for Petitioner. Attorney General Alan Wilson and Assistant Attorney General Vann Henry Gunter, Jr. and Interim Solicitor Heather S. Weiss, all of Columbia, for Respondent.

This Court reviews the court of appeals' unpublished opinion. State v. Purnell, No. 2017-UP-272 (S.C. Ct. App. July 5, 2017).