Left: Fire crews work to contain a blaze at Judge Diane Goodstein’s residence on Edisto Island, South Carolina (St. Paul’s Fire District). Right: Judge Diane Goodstein (South Carolina courts).
A fire broke out at the South Carolina home of a judge on Saturday, resulting in three people being hospitalized, including her husband, a former Democratic state legislator, who reportedly had to escape through a window, officials said.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is looking into the origins of the fire that gutted Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein’s waterfront property, investigating whether it was set deliberately.
Last month, Goodstein issued a temporary restraining order preventing the South Carolina Election Commission from sharing voter data with the Trump administration, according to a report by FITS News. A voter from the Palmetto State initiated a lawsuit in the Calhoun County Court of Pleas, claiming that releasing the data would infringe her privacy rights. The text from Goodstein’s TRO reads:
Upon reviewing the Plaintiff’s verified Petition for a Temporary Restraining Order presented by the Plaintiff, the Court recognizes a possibility of immediate and irreparable harm to the Plaintiff if her personal data is disclosed in violation of her constitutional right to privacy as upheld by the South Carolina Constitution, the U.S. Constitution, and relevant state privacy, election, and criminal laws.
However, the South Carolina Supreme Court rescinded the order, allowing the Election Division to proceed with transferring the data to the U.S. Department of Justice. This follows a memorandum of understanding that details the terms of the release. The state agency complied with directives from the Trump administration’s request for voter records from all states.
According to the St. Paul’s Fire District, crews from several different agencies responded to a fire Saturday at a home on Edisto Beach, which is roughly 50 miles southwest of Charleston. Flames were shooting through the roof of the home when crews arrived and became fully engulfed, pictures showed.
“This area is located on a barrier island with significant challenges such as limited water supply and tight areas,” St. Paul’s Fire District wrote in a Facebook post. “The first arriving crews worked flawlessly together to ensure the safety of the occupants which escaped via jumping from and elevated first floor. “Due to the remoteness and layout of the lot, the occupants had to be rescued from the backyard via kayaks and brought to Colleton County EMS where they received medical aid.”
FITS News reports the judge’s husband, Arnold Goodstein, was the one who jumped from the elevated first floor while saving other family members. He is in the hospital with serious injuries. He served as Democratic member of the state Senate and House of Representatives as well as the Department of Transportation commissioner.
The judge herself was reportedly out walking her dogs when the house caught fire.
She was elected in 1998 by the South Carolina General Assembly as circuit judge for the First Judicial Circuit, her biography said.
