Police investigate fire that destroyed judge’s home

Authorities in Colleton County, South Carolina, have opened an investigation into a blaze that destroyed the home of a state circuit judge and her husband, a former state senator, according to CNN affiliates WCSC and WIS.

The house, owned by Judge Diane Goodstein and her husband, former state Sen. Arnold Goodstein, burned down on Friday afternoon. Authorities said that three people were subsequently taken to the hospital. 

Videos shared to social media showed the large, beachfront home emitting black smoke and engulfed in flames. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division sent officials to the scene, the South Carolina Supreme Court confirmed. In a Saturday statement to CNN, the court said an investigation would begin after the scene was “contained.” 

“Chief Justice John W. Kittredge is aware of an incident involving Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein,” the statement read. “Local law enforcement partners have been alerted and asked to provide extra patrols and security. The Judicial Branch will remain in close communication with SLED.” 

The extent of the injuries for the three people taken to hospitals is unclear. All three were taken to the Medical University of South Carolina.

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Although the cause of the blaze is not yet clear, the incident comes at a time of high political tensions across the country, especially for judges. The Trump administration has referred to those who issue rulings against their agenda as “partisan” and “activist judges.”

In September, Goodstein temporarily blocked the release of South Carolina voter information to the Department of Justice. The decision drew criticism from Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, who called it “a state court judge’s hasty nullification.” 

“I will allow nothing to stand in the way of our mandate to maintain clean voter rolls,” Dhillon wrote on X. The decision was reversed shortly afterward by the state Supreme Court.