South Carolina judge’s home burns down in massive fire after she ruled against Donald Trump and became target of death threats

A massive fire just destroyed the beachfront home of a South Carolina judge who had reportedly been receiving death threats. State law enforcement is actively investigating the cause of the huge blaze at the three-story home of circuit court Judge Diane Goodstein, which erupted on a Saturday in the luxury gated community on Edisto Beach in Colleton County.

South Carolina’s chief justice, John Kittredge, said the fire appeared to have been caused by an “explosion,” and sources close to Judge Goodstein told The Guardian that the judge had received recent death threats. The judge, a Democrat-appointed circuit court judge, was fortunately out walking her dogs when the fire broke out.

Still, the blaze did send three members of her family to the hospital. Among those treated after leaping from the home were Goodstein’s husband, former state senator Arnold Goodstein, and their son, Arnold Goodstein II. A spokesperson for the South Carolina state law enforcement division confirmed they are investigating the fire, “The investigation is active and ongoing. More information may be available as the investigation continues”.

A fire seemed to hit the home of a judge who got death threats

Chief Justice Kittredge also confirmed the investigation and the uncertainty surrounding the cause: “At this time, we do not know whether the fire was accidental or arson. Until that determination is made, Sled chief Mark Keel has alerted local law enforcement to provide extra patrols and security”.

If you’re wondering why a judge would be receiving death threats, it’s worth noting a temporary injunction Goodstein issued in September. She ruled to temporarily block the release of the state’s voter files to the U.S. Justice Department, which was part of Trump’s March executive order issued to stop non-citizens from registering to vote. Post her ruling, she was criticized by the administration and the White House.

This ruling was later publicly criticized by an assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division. The Justice Department was looking to acquire names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and social security numbers for more than 3 million registered voters.

The state supreme court of South Carolina eventually reversed Goodstein’s decision. The fact that the cause of the blaze isn’t immediately known, combined with the reports of death threats, has prompted many to question if the fire at the judge’s home is the latest example of politically motivated violence in the U.S.

Sadly, we’ve seen a string of politically themed violence in recent months. The US political establishment is still grappling with the September 10 shooting death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk. Before that, related shootings in June killed Minnesota’s former House speaker, Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark, and injured a Democratic state senator and his wife. Even the home of Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, was firebombed back in April.

Unsurprisingly, public figures across the political spectrum have denounced the rise of political violence as anti-democratic. However, fears persist within the judiciary that they are now targets.