Two S.C. Prosecutors Honored with Awards for Excellence

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Two South Carolina prosecutors were recently honored for their excellence and achievements in the criminal justice system. The awards are presented each year during the South Carolina Solicitors' Annual Conference, which is held in Myrtle Beach.

The 2024 honorees are:

Ernest F. Hollings Award (General Sessions): Deputy Solicitor Ashley Hammack, 2nd Circuit Solicitor's Office

Ernest F. Hollings Award (Attorney General): Assistant Deputy Attorney General Kinli Abee, South Carolina Attorney General's Office

The Ernest F. Hollings Awards for Excellence in State Prosecution were conceived in 1996 and begun in 1997 as a means for federal prosecutors to take the lead in publicly recognizing their state court colleagues who generally must do much more with much less. As Chairman of the Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee, then United States Attorney J. René Josey enlisted the support of United States Senator Ernest F. Hollings to make the awards a reality. As a former Charleston prosecutor and longtime legislative supporter of law enforcement, Senator Hollings was more than willing to lend his aid. The Senator Hollings awards are presented annually to recognize an Assistant Solicitor in each of the following categories: (1) excellence in prosecution in the Court of General Sessions; and/or (2) excellence in prosecution in the Family Courts. In 2006, a third category was added to recognize an Assistant Attorney General.

The award selections committee is comprised of the Chairman of the South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination, the President of the S.C. Solicitor's Association, the Chief of South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and representatives from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the South Carolina Attorney General's Office and the John Justice family.

###