Diane Goodstein | |
|---|---|
| Judge for South Carolina 1st Judicial Circuit | |
| Assumed office 1998 | |
| District Attorney forDorchester County, South Carolina | |
| In office 1986–1988 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Diane Shafer Goodstein 1955 (age 70–71) Dillon, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Spouse | Arnold Goodstein |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
Diane Goodstein (born 1955) is a judge at theSouth Carolina Circuit Court. She is married to fellow lawyerArnold Goodstein who is a veteran and served in the state legislature. He is a Democrat.
TheTrump 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 theDepartment of Justice for its election integrity investigations. She was later unanimously overruled by theSouth Carolina Supreme Court as the justices determined her order was "clearly erroneous".[1][2]
Diane Schafer was born in July 1955 inDillon, South Carolina. She is the daughter of Joseph M. Schafer and Helen Schafer Mast. Her uncle was Alan Schafer, a prominentJewish-American businessman who founded theSouth of the Border roadside attraction nearDillon, South Carolina, where she was born.[3]
She earned her bachelor's degree from theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978 and her Juris Doctor from theUniversity of North Carolina School of Law in 1981.[4]
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 asDorchester County Attorney and General Counsel for theCharleston County Aviation Authority from 1986 to 1988. In a significant career milestone, Goodstein was elected by theSouth Carolina General Assembly as a ResidentCircuit 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]
Judge Goodstein is married to former Democratic Party state senatorArnold Goodstein.[6] The couple has a son.[7] Arnold Goodstein was twice awarded aBronze Star for his service during theVietnam War.[8]
On October 5, 2025, her husband, son, and another family member were injured in a fire at herEdisto Island home. She was not injured.[9] The fire is being investigated by state law enforcement amidst speculation, without evidence but based on the family having been subject to death threats, most recently after a September 2025 ruling she issued for a temporary injunction against the Trump administration, that it was arson – however the preliminary analysis indicated a domestic accident as the cause.[2][10][11][12][13]
