A waterfront home belonging to Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein was reduced to ashes over the weekend. A massive blaze tore through her luxury property on Edisto Beach, leaving three members of her family injured. Among them was her husband, former state Sen. Arnold Goodstein.
The fire erupted late Saturday morning in the Jeremy Cay gated community. The area is a tranquil enclave of multimillion-dollar homes along South Carolina’s southern coast. Judge Goodstein, 69, was walking her dogs on the beach when the inferno broke out, according to the Post and Courier. Witnesses reported that flames rapidly engulfed the three-story residence, sending dense plumes of black smoke into the sky.
Her husband, 81-year-old Arnold Goodstein, and two other family members—identified by FitsNews as the couple’s son, Arnold III, and a third relative—were forced to leap from upper floors to escape. South Carolina Chief Justice John Kittredge told FitsNews, “The family had to escape by jumping from a window or balcony.” He continued, “I’m told there were injuries from the fall, such as broken legs. Arnie’s injuries may have been the most serious, for he was airlifted to the hospital.”
Rescuers navigated through the surrounding marsh to reach the injured family members. They used kayaks and small boats to ferry them to safety, officials with the St. Paul’s Fire District said. One person was airlifted to the Medical University of South Carolina. Two others were transported by ambulance, according to Colleton County Fire Rescue Capt. K.C. Campbell.
The 4,000-square-foot home, valued at roughly $1.55 million, was a total loss. Early reports suggested the fire began with an “apparent explosion,” Kittredge said. The exact cause remains under investigation. “At this time, we do not know whether the fire was accidental or arson,” he said. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed it had opened a formal inquiry. SLED has not yet released any preliminary findings.
The incident comes at a fraught moment for Judge Goodstein. She has recently faced heightened public scrutiny following a politically charged case involving access to voter data. In early September, she issued a temporary injunction blocking South Carolina’s election commission from turning over personal voter information to the U.S. Department of Justice. The move briefly halted a federal effort backed by the Trump administration to identify alleged noncitizen voters.
The Department of Justice had sought to obtain data on more than 3.3 million registered voters, including names, addresses, and partial Social Security numbers. Goodstein ruled that the state should not release the information until privacy and legal issues were clarified. The decision sparked backlash from Republican Gov. Henry McMaster and then-President Donald Trump. Both condemned the ruling as federal interference in state matters.
Within days, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Goodstein’s injunction. The court sided with McMaster in a six-page opinion that said the judge had not shown sufficient evidence of harm to justify blocking the data release. “The circuit court erred,” the ruling read. It concluded that the election commission could comply with federal authorities.
According to FitsNews, Goodstein had received “multiple death threats” following her September 2 decision. SLED has not confirmed any connection between those threats and Saturday’s fire. The agency said it is treating the investigation as “open and active.”
Neighbors described the chaotic scene as firefighters battled limited water access and high winds on the barrier island. “It spread so fast,” resident Tom Peterson told The Post and Courier. “By the time we saw the flames, the whole top floor was gone.”
Judge Goodstein has served on the state bench since 1998. She is known for presiding over several high-profile cases involving ethics and electoral disputes. Her husband, a former Democratic lawmaker, served in both chambers of the South Carolina legislature during the 1970s. He later ran a homebuilding firm in Summerville before it went bankrupt in 2008.
As investigators comb through debris at the charred property, state judicial leaders say they are working with law enforcement to ensure the judge’s safety. “Local law enforcement partners have been alerted and asked to provide extra patrols and security,” Chief Justice Kittredge said.
For now, the cause of the explosion that destroyed one of South Carolina’s most prominent jurists’ homes remains a mystery. However, the event has deepened concerns about the threats faced by judges in politically volatile cases.
