The cause of a massive fire at the beachfront home of a South Carolina judge who had reportedly been subjected to death threats is being investigated by state law enforcement.
The blaze at the home of Diane Goodstein – a Democrat-appointed circuit court judge – erupted on Saturday, sending three members of her family to the hospital, including her husband, a former state senator.
South Carolina’s chief justice said, “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.” Chief Justice John Kittredge said it appeared the blaze began with an explosion.
In September, Judge Goodstein issued a temporary injunction on the release of state voter files to the Trump administration.
Goodstein’s ruling was later publicly criticized by an assistant attorney general for the justice department’s civil rights division, Harmeet Dhillon. The division has been at the forefront of efforts to acquire information, including names, addresses, driver’s license numbers and social security numbers, of more than 3 million registered voters under an executive order targeting “non-citizen voter registration”.