Goodstein, one of 14 judges who sits on the Commission on Judicial Conduct, through a spokeswoman denied doing anything improper. The commission dismissed his complaint without explanation, leaving Flowers unsure what steps were taken to investigate his concerns. He alleged the judge colluded to award a lawyer friend exorbitant attorney’s fees that limited payouts to clients who had been sexually abused by members of the clergy. George about an hour from Charleston, faced a formal complaint in 2008 filed by South Carolina lawyer David Flowers. The newspaper obtained three confidential complaints filed with the Commission on Judicial Conduct, which show circuit judges have been accused of serious misconduct.Ĭircuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein, based in the small town of St. The Post and Courier also conducted more than three dozen interviews and reviewed 7,000 pages of legal documents. Just one responded: a retired judge who said he never faced a complaint. The Post and Courier wrote emails and sent letters to 60 active and retired circuit court judges asking if they had been the subject of disciplinary proceedings. The judges themselves are the only ones who can decide whether grievances against them are ever divulged. Legal experts say more minor punishments of less egregious offenses help stem unethical behavior.īut in South Carolina, the public is left in the dark. Year after year, they reject any punishment of their colleagues.Įlsewhere, judicial discipline has erupted in major scandal, with judges in other states removed from the bench or sentenced to prison. The high court is in charge of the bench’s ethical oversight, but it has skirted the practices of virtually every other state to stack the Commission on Judicial Conduct with judges. Lawmakers filled many of the openings with their fellow legislators, including several who sat on the state Supreme Court. Only one other state, Virginia, allows lawmakers to elect judges. Ben Tillman’s agenda to disenfranchise African Americans. The state legislature chooses who sits on the bench, a provision of the state constitution dating to the 1890s that was part of segregationist U.S. The leniency results from one of the most insular systems in the country for selecting and disciplining judges, who hold unusual political connections in South Carolina. Get Our Top InvestigationsĮmail address This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Unlike in other states, including South Carolina’s neighbors, it’s nearly impossible for the public to know how seriously allegations against the state’s judges are taken. In thin annual reports, it acknowledges the number of complaints and the type of alleged offenses, but it offers no details. The Commission on Judicial Conduct shares its work with no one - not even complainants, who receive brief letters telling them when a case has been closed. But instead, the system run largely by judges shields the accused and buries complaints, an investigation by The Post and Courier and ProPublica found. The number of judges punished publicly as a result: zero.Ī judicial ethics watchdog created in 1997 is supposed to aggressively monitor misconduct on the bench. Over the past two decades, more than 1,000 ethics complaints have been lodged against South Carolina judges who handle the state’s major cases in circuit court.īeyond mere courtroom disputes, the complaints contain serious concerns about abuse of office, including allegations of influence peddling or judges mishandling conflicts of interest. This article was produced in partnership with The Post and Courier, which is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network.
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