Diane Schafer Goodstein
Diane Schafer Goodstein is a circuit court judge for the First Judicial Circuit. The First Judicial Circuit has jurisdiction in Calhoun, Dorchester, and Orangeburg counties in South Carolina.[1] Goodstein was elected to the court by the South Carolina General Assembly in May 1998 and assumed office on July 1, 1998. She was re-elected in 2016 and 2022.[2][3][4]
Biography
Goodstein earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978 and her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1981.[5][2]
She was an associate at the law firm Goodstein, Bowling, Douglas & Phillips for two years after finishing law school then practiced law with her husband at Goodstein & Goodstein P.A. until 1998.[5] She also served as Dorchester County attorney from 1986 to 1988.[5]
Associations
- Member, South Carolina Bar Association
- Member, Dorchester County Bar Association
- Member, American Bar Association[2]
Noteworthy events
House fire (2025)
On October 4, 2025, the home that Goodstein and her husband, former state Sen. Arnold Goodstein, owned was destroyed in a fire.[6] Three people were injured and hospitalized as a result of the fire.[7] In a statement on October 6, Mark Keel, chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, said, "At this time, there is no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally set."[6] The investigation is ongoing.[8]
See also
External links
- South Carolina Judicial Department: Circuit Map
- South Carolina Judicial Department: Diane Schafer Goodstein Biography
Footnotes
- ↑ South Carolina Judicial Department, "Circuit Court Judges - Circuit 1," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 South Carolina Judicial Department, "Diane Schafer Goodstein Biography," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ State of South Carolina, "Terms of Judges," June 6, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Judicial Branch, "Judicial Elections," February 2, 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 South Carolina Judicial Branch, "Diane Schafer Goodstein," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 CNN, "South Carolina authorities are investigating a fire that engulfed the home of state circuit court judge," accessed October 14, 2025
- ↑ South Carolina Daily Gazette, "SLED: ‘No evidence’ of arson at destroyed home of SC judge, former legislator," accessed October 14, 2025
- ↑ AP News, "South Carolina’s top law official says no arson evidence so far in fire that destroyed judge’s home," accessed October 14, 2025
Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of South Carolina • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of South Carolina
State courts:
South Carolina Supreme Court • South Carolina Court of Appeals • South Carolina Circuit Courts • South Carolina Masters-in-Equity • South Carolina Family Courts • South Carolina Magistrate Courts • South Carolina Municipal Courts • South Carolina Probate Courts
State resources:
Courts in South Carolina • South Carolina judicial elections • Judicial selection in South Carolina
