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	2 Area Judges Seeking Seats on State's Top Courts By Schuyler Kropf Post and Courier [South Carolina] March 13, 2007 http://www.charleston.net/assets/webPages/departmental/news/Stories.aspx?section=localnews&tableId=134406&pubDate=3/13/2007 Two Charleston-area judges are on the list of those seeking to jump to the state's highest courts. Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein of Summerville is one of eight candidates for a seat opening up on the state Supreme Court. And Circuit Judge Danny Pieper of Hanahan is one of six candidates for a seat on the state Court of Appeals. The list of candidates was released Monday by the state's Judicial Merit Selection Commission. Goodstein has been a 1st Circuit judge since 1998. Last week she refused to approve a sexual abuse settlement involving the Catholic Diocese of Charleston, saying further investigation is warranted. She is seeking to fill the vacancy on the five-member court that will be created by the upcoming retirement of Justice E.C. Burnett. She is one of two women in the race; the other is Appeals Court Judge Kaye Hearn. Appeals Court Judge Don Beatty is trying to become the first black member of the high court since Ernest Finney, the state's first black chief justice, retired in 2000. Some lawmakers have called for more diversity in the state's judicial posts. Pieper has been a 9th Circuit judge since 1996. He oversaw one of the state's highest profile cases of recent times, the double-murder trial of Christopher Pittman, who was convicted of shotgunning his grandparents when he was 12. Pieper is seeking the Appeals Court seat that will be left vacant by the retirement of H. Samuel Stillwell. Over the next several weeks, candidates will face an in-depth screening process involving tests and interviews, with the winners announced May 23 at a joint gathering of the House and Senate. At least two more Supreme Court justices are said to be interested in retiring in the next several years. Judge candidates Candidates for posts announced Monday by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission: Supreme Court, Seat 5 Court of Appeals Judge Donald W. Beatty, Spartanburg Circuit Judge John C. Few, Greenville Circuit Judge Kenneth G. Goode, Winnsboro Circuit Judge Diane S. Goodstein, Summerville Circuit Judge J. Mark Hayes II, Spartanburg Court of Appeals Judge Kaye G. Hearn, Conway Family Court Judge A. Eugene Morehead III, Florence Court of Appeals Judge H. Bruce Williams, Columbia S.C. Court of Appeals, Seat 7 Family Court Judge Robert S. Armstrong, Seabrook Family Court Judge Timothy L. Brown, Greenville Family Court Judge Robert N. Jenkins, Travelers Rest Attorney J. Rene Josey, Florence Family Court Judge Aphrodite Konduros, Greenville Circuit Court Judge Daniel F. Pieper, Hanahan Screenings On April 17, candidate screenings, which are open to the public, will be held in Columbia. The names of the top three candidates will be forwarded May 3 to the General Assembly. By May 8, candidates will be allowed to begin seeking commitments from lawmakers. The final vote will be May 23. Reach Schuyler Kropf at skropf@postandcourier.com or 937-5551.
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