SC Judge’s House Burns Down, Investigators Say No Arson After Split Narratives Emerged

The South Carolina home of Circuit Court Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein burned down on Saturday, though after initially mixed reports emerged, officials have said there is no evidence it was arson.

The Details: Goodstein’s house, valued at around $1.5 million and located in Edisto Beach, reportedly caught fire while she was walking her dogs on the beach. Goodstein’s husband, former Democratic state senator Arnold Goodstein, and two others in the house were hospitalized with injuries. The South Carolina Supreme Court’s Chief Justice John Kittredge initially told South Carolinian outlet FITSNews (not rated by AllSides) that the fire was caused by “an explosion.” The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said it found no evidence that an explosion occurred or that the fire was intentionally set.

For Context: Last month, Goodstein temporarily blocked South Carolina’s election commission from releasing voter information to the Department of Justice as part of an executive order President Trump signed in March that aimed to bolster election integrity in the US. Her ruling was later overturned by South Carolina’s Supreme Court. FITSNews, which described the fire as “alleged arson,” and reported speaking to “multiple sources close to Goodstein” who said she had received death threats in recent weeks and years.

Split Narratives: Several major mainstream publications appeared to source information from FITSNews, including People (Lean Left bias), Time Magazine (Lean Left), The Independent (Lean Left), and The Telegraph (Lean Right), all of which mentioned the outlet by name. Fox News (Right) and The Daily Mail (Right) described the fire as “suspected arson.” Fox’s headline initially said the fire was a “possible arson,” though it later updated it, stating investigators found no evidence of this.

Potential Misinformation: The Telegraph reported that “local officials” said there was an explosion and that Goodstein had received threats in recent months, ostensibly referring to Chief Justice Kittredge’s quote.

How The Media Covered It: AllSides did not find much coverage from Center-rated outlets. Newsweek’s (Center) first coverage of the incident was headlined, “Judge Diane Goodstein’s Home Burns To Ground After Ruling Against Trump.” Outlets from the right emphasized the lavishness of the property. Several outlets across the spectrum included a comment from Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), who criticized “MAGA-world” for “doxxing and threatening judges who rule against Trump” and described the fire as an “arson.” The Telegraph and People both claimed Goodstein received “death threats” in their headlines.

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