A house fire is a nightmare for anyone, but this time the victim is far from ordinary.
On Saturday, the home of a South Carolina judge was destroyed after it went up in flames.
This happened just weeks after she ruled against Donald Trump’s Department of Justice.
This past weekend, tragedy struck in Edisto Beach, South Carolina, when Judge Diane Goodstein’s $1.5 million home was burned to the ground.
St. Paul’s Fire District responded to the scene on October 4, reporting that the first crews on site “worked flawlessly together to ensure the safety of the occupants which escaped via jumping from an elevated first floor.”
Clips shared on social media captured massive flames tearing through the oceanfront home, with thick smoke billowing high into the sky.
Due to the home’s remote location and tricky layout, rescuers had to evacuate the family from the backyard using kayaks, bringing them to Colleton County EMS for medical care.
Three people were hospitalized, including Judge Goodstein’s husband, Arnold ‘Arnie’ Goodstein, a former Democratic state senator.
According to South Carolina Chief Justice John Kittredge, Arnie “was in the house with children and perhaps grandchildren. The family had to escape by jumping from a window or balcony. I’m told there were injuries from the fall, such as broken legs.”
Judge Goodstein herself was on the beach when the fire broke out, authorities confirmed.
Kittredge said the blaze was caused by an “apparent explosion”, but investigators have not determined whether it was accidental or deliberate.
Blocked Trump
The fire comes shortly after Judge Goodstein blocked the Trump DOJ from obtaining personal information for over 3.3 million South Carolina voters, including names, addresses, birthdates, driver’s license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.
The DOJ had planned to cross-reference the data with a Department of Homeland Security database to check if any registered voters might be ineligible.
The restraining order was issued on September 2 after South Carolina voter Anne Crook filed a lawsuit to stop the handover. Goodstein wrote that releasing the data could cause “immediate and irreparable damage” by violating Crook’s right to privacy.
A judge close to Goodstein told FITSNews that she’s “had multiple death threats over the years.”
The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is actively investigating the fire. “The investigation is active and ongoing. More information may be available as the investigation continues,” said SLED public information director Renée Wunderlich.
Calls out White House deputy chief of staff
As mentioned, officials haven’t confirmed what started the fire, and so far there’s no proof it was arson. Still, the incident has stirred up debate about the growing wave of online hate aimed at judges who rule against Trump and his circle.
Democratic congressman Daniel Goldman, who once led the charge in Donald Trump’s first impeachment, wasted no time calling out White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller after the shocking blaze. Tagging Miller on X, Goldman shared footage of the inferno and didn’t hold back.
“Stephen Miller and MAGA-world have been doxxing and threatening judges who rule against Trump, including Judge Goodstein,” Goldman wrote. “Today, someone committed arson on the Judge’s home, severely injuring her husband and son. Will Trump speak out against the extreme right that did this??”
Miller, one of Trump’s most loyal allies, immediately fired back, blasting Goldman as “deeply warped and vile.”
In a fiery post, Miller claimed, “There is a large and growing movement of leftwing terrorism in this country. It is well organized and funded. And it is shielded by far-left Democrat judges, prosecutors and attorneys general.”
He doubled down, adding: “While the Trump Administration has launched the first-ever government-wide effort to combat and prosecute illegal doxing, sinister threats and political violence you continue to push despicable lies, demented smears, malicious defamation and foment unrest. Despicable.”
Goldman wasn’t impressed with Miller’s deflection, snapping back that Miller was dodging the real issue.
“If you are trying to combat political violence, why don’t you condemn the political violence against a judge who ruled against you and your admin?” Goldman demanded. “It’s pretty simple: do you condemn all political violence or only that against your supporters?”
