SC

SC Senators Probing Upstate Judge

IMPROPER SEALING OF DIVORCE CASE RAISES “BIG RED FLAG” || By FITSNEWS || South Carolina legislative leaders tell us judicial reform will be a top priority during the 2016 legislative session. We challenged South Carolina lawmakers to address judicial corruption last fall … but they didn’t.  And the judiciary got even…

IMPROPER SEALING OF DIVORCE CASE RAISES “BIG RED FLAG”

|| By FITSNEWS || South Carolina legislative leaders tell us judicial reform will be a top priority during the 2016 legislative session.

We challenged South Carolina lawmakers to address judicial corruption last fall … but they didn’t.  And the judiciary got even more corrupt.

That’s a shame.  Courts are critical to the protection of individual liberty and private property, and we’ve consistently argued they should be funded commensurately and administered fairly and efficiently.  Earlier this year we even advocated on behalf of pay raises for judges … something we almost never do.

The vast majority of South Carolina judges are good people.  They take the law, their cases – and the lives impacted by those cases – very seriously.  The vast majority of these judges also adhere to the “Five Canons” included in the Moral Code of Judicial Conduct – which include maintaining the “independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary,” avoiding “impropriety and the appearance of impropriety,” and conducting “personal and extrajudicial activities” in such a manner as to “minimize the risk of conflict with the obligations of judicial office.”

Judges are also advised to avoid political entanglements …

The goal of all this?  Blind justice … as opposed to partiality based on personal or political considerations.

This blind justice is essential to the proper functioning of a democracy (i.e. the liberty and property considerations we mentioned earlier) but it’s also essential to the provision of due process for those accused of violating our laws.  Without faith in the judiciary, the whole system falls apart.

In the South Carolina Upstate, one magistrate is being accused of undermining this blind justice – failing to adhere to the code of judicial conduct.

Magistrate Tina Gibson McMillan of Spartanburg County, S.C. – who was appointed to her post in 2010 by S.C. Senator Lee Bright – is facing a host of allegations that could sink her renomination.

According to a State Senator familiar with McMillan’s renomination – which is currently in “holdover” status – lawmakers are leery of putting her back on the bench because they believe she is lying to them about the circumstances surrounding her own divorce case.

For starters, McMillan’s case was improperly sealed by family court judge Agnes Dale Gable – who is based in Barnwell, S.C.

“That’s a big red flag,” the Senator told us.

In South Carolina, a county’s Senate delegation recommends magistrate appointments to the governor’s office – which formally nominates them.  Then the full Senate votes on those nominations.  The process is supposed to provide checks and balances, but in reality it’s a progression of rubber stamps.

Gable sealed the McMillan case at the request of her attorney, S.C. Rep. Doug Brannon.  If that name sounds familiar, it should.  Brannon is adept at getting judges to seal cases involving prominent parties – including the 2013 case of former S.C. Rep. Andy Patrick.

Gotta love that “transparency,” right?

In addition to his status as “Mr. Seal-It,” Brannon was also reportedly instrumental in routing state money for restoration efforts at Barnwell’s courthouse – an expenditure which was among the handful of spending items vetoed in 2013 by S.C. governor Nikki Haley.

Haley argued the restoration funding was a local expense, not a state one – but Brannon helped override her veto, restoring the funding.

Quid pro quo?

Good question … but it’s abundantly clear the Barnwell judge was in Brannon’s debt.

But the bigger question is this: Why did McMillan want the divorce papers sealed in the first place?  What was in the divorce filing that was so dangerous to her future on the bench?

According to sources familiar with the case – and a handful of unsealed documents obtained by FITS – McMillan was allegedly involved in a relationship with a Spartanburg County deputy who frequently testified before her court.  The nature of the relationship with the officer – deputy Jamie Tate – was never conclusively determined, although one Senator investigating McMillan’s renomination told us surveillance of the couple undertaken by a private investigator revealed a “romantic tone.”

In 2013 Tate was the subject of a deposition related to McMillan’s divorce case.

In that deposition, he acknowledges being tipped off by the judge regarding the questions he was likely to face.  Among them?  Inquiries about a text message exchange in which the judge reportedly played a “joke” on him – pretending to be one of his ex-girlfriends.

The contents of this text message exchange have not yet been provided to us, although Tate specifically referenced the exchange during his deposition – and the fact that the judge tipped him off.

“She has informed me about my deposition,” Tate said under oath during questioning. “She said, ‘Hey, you know, there is going to be a thing about the text that I sent you, the joke I played on you.'”

Hmmmm …

To be clear: We’re not accusing McMillan of doing anything illegal.  And it could be there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for her extracurricular association with a deputy who regularly appeared before her court.

However McMillan’s (successful) effort to seal the family court files related to her divorce – and the alleged conflict associated with the sealing of those files – raises a host of questions.  At least one of the Senators who has to approve her renomination has privately told FITS he’s not inclined to support her unless she becomes “a lot more forthcoming” regarding these matters.

Meanwhile a S.C. House member who is still angry about Barnwell County receiving state funding for its court house renovations has vowed to investigate Brannon’s involvement in this case.

FITS reached out to Brannon regarding the sealing of the McMillan case files but did not immediately receive a response.  As this story moves forward, though, we look forward to presenting McMillan’s version of events along with additional information regarding the allegations against her.

***

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19 comments

E Norma Scok August 5, 2015 at 10:57 am

“SC SENATORS PROBING UPSTATE JUDGE”

Seems fair; I feel like our gubmint is probing me every April, with out the pleasantries of a reach or around, or even a nice hug.

Reply
sparklecity August 5, 2015 at 11:12 am

Don’t forget your annual county taxes and vehicle/other property taxes which vary from month to month depending on the date of your vehicle tag………
If it can’t be fixed locally, forget about the IRS in April………………

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jimlewisowb August 5, 2015 at 11:08 am

Digitally, I assume !

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Ms. Lindsey August 5, 2015 at 3:05 pm

Is it too much for a man to ask to be digitally probed as well? I’m not just a warrior, but a social justice warrior and I demand equality for men, women, & men that want to be women.

Reply
Bible Thumper August 5, 2015 at 11:24 am

Simple solution. Make it srandard that divorce records are sealed. That way no undue influence can be wielded.

Reply
Speak D Truth August 5, 2015 at 11:35 am

There is another upstate magistrate that lives next door to a prominent DUI attorney. His clients cases never seem to make it to trial.

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TroubleBaby August 5, 2015 at 12:43 pm

“Doug Brannon”

Why is it this person seems to be in the center of a toilet bowl filled with turds? Is it possible, that he himself, is a turd?

As far as judge misconduct goes, I’m sure she’ll bear the same responsibility/consequences for her actions that most government employees guilty of misconduct bear.

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shifty henry August 5, 2015 at 12:56 pm

Please give us a photo of this broad….

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TroubleBaby August 5, 2015 at 1:43 pm

Is it too much to ask for an action shot?

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Crooner August 5, 2015 at 1:37 pm

Blah, blah, blah… But our county courthouses and squares throughout the state are treasures worthy of preservation.

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Crooner August 5, 2015 at 1:37 pm

And “magistrates” aren’t “judges” unless you’re in Federal Court.

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easterndumbfuckistan August 5, 2015 at 3:06 pm

Magistrates are summary court judges.

The Code of Judicial Conduct

a. Magistrate

Rule 501, SCACR, the Code of Judicial Conduct, is found in Volume 22A of the Code of Laws. A summary court judge is explicitly subject to the requirements of this rule, and should thoroughly familiarize himself or herself with it.

To illustrate the scope of the rule, its five canons are summarized below.

Canon 1 – A judge shall uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary.
Canon 2 – A judge shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all his activities.
Canon 3 – A judge shall perform the duties of his office impartially and diligently.
Canon 4 – A judge shall conduct his extra-judicial activities as to minimize the risk of conflict with his judicial obligations.
Canon 5 – A judge or judicial candidate shall refrain from inappropriate political activity.

Reply
Superfly August 5, 2015 at 3:16 pm

I would bet that Senator Brad Hutto was involved if the Barnwell County Courthouse was part of the equation. Also, Gable’s cousin is Tim Moore Jr., a local prominent Barnwell lawyer (and fomer County Council Member) as well, and asshole buddies with Hutto. Gable was previously the Barnwell County Probate Judge before being elected to Family Court, and has worked at the Barnwell County Courthouse since 1988, in one way or another. (The current Probate Judge, Myrna Stil Dill, a high school chum of Jude Gable, both graduated from Barnwell H.S in 1973). In private practice (84-88) Gable worked for Walter Beddingfield whose office was just across the street, before he keeled over. All of those Barnwell lawyers are thick as thieves, so not doubt that there was a quid pro quo involved.

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You Dont Have a Clue August 5, 2015 at 3:18 pm

Unless you practice before SC Judges, there is NO WAY for YOU to know if the “Vast” majority of them are good Judges. I can rattle off at least 7 circuit court judges who are CORRUPT. Can you?

Reply
nitrat August 5, 2015 at 11:00 pm

And, at least that many inept if you can go by the cases overturned due to judicial errors…or is that just collusion with the prosecutors?

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Regal August 5, 2015 at 7:36 pm

The SC Senate would better spend its time probing (TeeHee) Curtis Loftis for his criminal activity since he got elected. The Ethics board already is giving him a rather week probing and Curtis could sure use the thrust of a goos senate probe to keep him honest.

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Lone Ranger August 6, 2015 at 6:48 pm

Ummmmm…Kemosabe…I knew after Jean Toal’s third DUI
hit-and-run that the ah “ethics” of SC-payday-grubbing-legislator-appointed
judges was strong

Like Back-Stab-‘Em-Haley and I-Lie-To-Conservatives-Joe
Wilson NOT letting you vote on the flag—no way anything can…go wrong…go wrong…go
wrong !!!

Reply
Eli August 28, 2015 at 10:29 pm

As usual news about crooked judges go no where

Reply
Guido Sarducci September 21, 2015 at 5:48 pm

Brannon’s reported cozy relationship with Circuit Court Judge Keith Kelly needs to be investigated. A quid pro quo of exceptional magnitude.

Reply

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