The Hon. Larry Blanding is a magistrate for the Sumter County Magistrate Court in South Carolina. He was reappointed to the bench on April 30, 2018.
The magistrate court presides over landlord/tenant hearings, summons and complaint cases (to claim disputed funds), claim and delivery cases (to reclaim property), and public sales of abandoned vehicles. Its magistrates also hear criminal and traffic cases, issue warrants and set bonds, and hold preliminary hearings and transfer cases for the county.
Prior to his appointment, Blanding worked as a realtor in Sumter County, supplementing his practice with service as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Blanding earned a bachelor's degree from Claflin College in 1975. He then completed an M.Ed. at South Carolina State College in 1977.
His memberships have included the Savage-Glover Boys Club, the Goodfellows Club, the Orangeburg Area Human Relations Council, and the County Public Awareness Association. He has also been involved with the Sumter County Development Board.
Raised in Sumter, South Carolina, Blanding graduated from Sumter High School. He and his wife, Peggy, have one daughter. The family has attended Emmanuel United Methodist Church.
He is registered as a Democrat.