Diane Goodstein

Last updated

Diane Goodstein
Judge for South Carolina 1st Judicial Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office
1998

Diane Goodstein (born 1955) is a judge at the South Carolina Circuit Court. She is married to fellow lawyer Arnold Goodstein who is a veteran and served in the state legislature. He is a Democrat.

Contents

The Trump administration had been publicly critical of Judge Goodstein who in September 2025 temporarily blocked South Carolina's election commission from releasing its voter files to the Department of Justice for its election integrity investigations. She was later unanimously overruled by the South Carolina Supreme Court as the justices determined her order was “clearly erroneous”. [1] [2]

Early life and education

Diane Schafer was born in July 1955 in Dillon, South Carolina. She is the daughter of Joseph M. Schafer and Helen Schafer Mast. Her uncle was Alan Schafer, a prominent Jewish-American businessman who founded the South of the Border roadside attraction near Dillon, South Carolina, where she was born. [3]

She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978 and her Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1981. [4]

Career

Goodstein began her legal career by working as an associate at the firm of Goodstein, Bowling, Douglas & Phillips from 1981 to 1983 before becoming Vice President in the Goodstein & Goodstein law firm, where she served from 1983 to 1998. She also served as Dorchester County Attorney and General Counsel for the Charleston County Aviation Authority from 1986 to 1988. In a significant career milestone, Goodstein was elected by the South Carolina General Assembly as a Resident Circuit Judge in May 1998. [4] She has maintained her position on the bench, securing re-elections in 2016 and 2022. Goodstein is currently a member of the Circuit Court Judges Advisory Committee and the Commission on Judicial Conduct. [5]

Personal life

Judge Goodstein is married to former Democratic Party state senator Arnold Goodstein. [6] The couple has a son. [7] Arnold Goodstein was twice awarded a Bronze Star for his service during the Vietnam War. [8]

House fire

On October 5, 2025, her husband, son, and another family member were injured in a fire at her Edisto Island home. She was not injured. [9] The fire is being investigated by state law enforcement. Goodstein and the family have been subject to death threats for years, several reports said, she had received death threats over the past few weeks following her decision to prevent the state from handing over sensitive voter registration documents to the federal government. Trump’s Department of Justice had requested South Carolina officials turn over the personal data of more than 3.3 million voters, including names, addresses, and birth dates. [10] [11] [2] [12] [13] [14] [15] The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief said there was no evidence of arson. [16] [17]

References

  1. ↑ "S.C. Supreme Court Paves The Way For Release Of Palmetto Voter File - FITSNews". September 11, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Jeyaretnam, Miranda (October 6, 2025). "House of South Carolina Judge Criticized by Trump Administration Burns Down". Time . Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  3. ↑ "South of the Border". Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein". South Carolina Judicial Branch. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Diane Goodstein". The Biography Bytes. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  6. ↑ Von Quednow, Cindy (October 6, 2025). "South Carolina authorities are investigating a fire that engulfed the home of state circuit court judge". CNN.
  7. ↑ Cota, Kailey; Hamilton, Scott (October 5, 2025). "Video shows blaze that injured 3 at Edisto Island home of SC judge, former SC senator". The Post and Courier . Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  8. ↑ Ives, Mike; Hassan, Adeel (October 6, 2025). "Fire Consumes the Home of a South Carolina State Judge". The New York Times .
  9. ↑ Helmore, Edward (October 6, 2025). "Fire engulfs home of South Carolina judge who had received death threats". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077.
  10. ↑ Jeyaretnam, Miranda (October 6, 2025). "House of South Carolina Judge Criticized by Trump Administration Burns Down". TIME. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  11. ↑ "South Carolina judge's house destroyed by fire; officials investigating cause". ABC News. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  12. ↑ Cota, Kailey; Hamilton, Scott (October 5, 2025). "Video shows blaze that injured 3 at Edisto Island home of SC judge, former SC senator". The Post and Courier. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Judge Diane Goodstein's home burns to ground after ruling against Trump". Newsweek. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  14. ↑ Izzo, Jack (October 7, 2025). "South Carolina judge's home burned down after anti-Trump ruling. Police investigating cause". Snopes. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Foul play? Cops launch probe after 'explosion' destroys South Carolina judge Diane Goodstein's home". Hindustan Times. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  16. ↑ Lard, Skylar (October 6, 2025). "SLED: 'No evidence' of arson at destroyed home of SC judge, former legislator". South Carolina Daily Gazette. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Investigators reveal first findings into South Carolina judge's house fire and warn public against speculation". The Independent via Yahoo News. October 7, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
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