Judge's $1.5 million home destroyed by fire weeks after ruling against Donald Trump

The incident is under investigation

A judge's $1.5 million home at Edisto Beach was completely destroyed by fire just weeks after she ruled against Donald Trump's administration.

St Paul's Fire District responded to South Carolina Judge Diane Goodstein's residence on Saturday (October 4).

In a Facebook post, they stated: "The first arriving crews worked seamlessly to ensure the safety of the occupants, who escaped by jumping from an elevated first floor."

"Because of the lot's remote location and layout, the occupants were rescued from the backyard using kayaks and taken to Colleton County EMS for medical assistance."

Three individuals were hospitalized, including her husband, Arnold 'Arnie' Goodstein, a former Democratic state senator.

Officials reported that Judge Goodstein was at the beach when the fire started.

Judge Goodstein had previously made a ruling against the Department of Justice under Donald Trump's administration

South Carolina Chief Justice John Kittredge informed FITSNews that Arnie 'was in the house with children and possibly grandchildren', stating: "The family had to escape by jumping from a window or balcony. I’ve heard there were injuries from the fall, such as broken legs."

The incident is currently under investigation, with Kittredge mentioning that the fire was due to an 'apparent explosion'.

He further stated: "At this time, we do not know whether the fire was accidental or arson."

This occurs weeks after Circuit Court Judge Goodstein ruled against Donald Trump's Department of Justice.

The DoJ requested that South Carolina officials provide personal information for more than 3.3 million registered voters.

The data included names, addresses, birthdates, driver’s license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.

The administration planned to compare this voter data with a Department of Homeland Security database that tracks noncitizens, aiming to determine if any registered voters might be ineligible, The New York Times reported.

Nonetheless, South Carolina voter Anne Crook initiated a lawsuit to prevent the data handover.

On September 2, Goodstein issued a temporary restraining order, stopping the transfer of voter information.

In her decision, Goodstein stated that releasing the data could result in 'immediate and irreparable damage' to Crook by infringing on her right to privacy, as per court documents obtained by WRDW.

A judge familiar with Goodstein reportedly informed FITSNews that she has received 'multiple death threats over the years'.

The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is probing the fire.

"The investigation is active and ongoing. More details may become available as the investigation progresses," agency public information director Renée Wunderlich told FITSNews.