On January 21, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's favor to prevent the City of North Charleston from annexing land in the Ashley River Historic District (Opinion No. 28313). This longstanding case challenged the attempted annexation of a portion of the Ashley River Historic District, which would dramatically reduce its protection, and lead to development inconsistent with the Historic District and the environs of Drayton Hall, a National Trust Historic Site.

The National Trust, with the City of Charleston, filed the lawsuit in June 2023. The circuit court dismissed the case, and the court of appeals affirmed that the National Trust and Charleston lacked standing to challenge the annexation. Despite these challenges, the National Trust appealed the decisions. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that both the National Trust and Charleston have standing and reversed the court of appeals stating, “that North Charleston did not lawfully annex the property because the property is not ‘adjacent’ to North Charleston's existing city limits.”

The case challenged the validity of North Charleston Ordinance 2017-080 on the basis that the property North Charleston attempted to annex was not "adjacent" to any other property within North Charleston's city limits, as required by the law, and due to a narrow strip of land owned by the National Trust within the city limits of Charleston. The National Trust acquired narrow strips of land along historic Ashley River Road for decades in order to protect the character of the road. The Supreme Court agreed that that National Trust and Charleston had standing because of this parcel.

The Ashley River Historic District was included on the National Trust’s list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2018 due to this threat. The National Trust continues to advocate for the District with its partner organizations. In November 2024, the National Trust submitted a letter of inquiry, with research by Brittany Lavelle Tulla, of BVL Historic Preservation Research, to elevate the entire District to a National Historic Landmark. On January 20, 2026, after reviewing the Trust’s inquiry, the National Park Service agreed that the District is eligible for NHL status and the National Trust can prepare the nomination.

The National Trust was represented by Walker Gressette Freeman & Linton, LLC who advocated in the best interest of preservation in protecting the Ashley River Historic District.