Justice Donald Beatty of South Carolina; ethical dwarf

The state of South Carolina presented Donald W. Beatty with a law license in 1979 after he graduated from the University of South Carolina Law School. 

Justice Beatty has had his significant snout firmly implanted in the public trough for the last twenty-four (24 years. In November 2007, Beatty succeeded in duping the voters in South Carolina into electing him as an associate justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court.

In late 2013, thirteen (13) of South Carolina’s sixteen (16) state prosecutors sought the recusal (removal) of Justice Beatty from hearing any future criminal appeals for the remarks he made at a conference of prosecutors in September 2013.

During a speech to the group of prosecutors, Donnie told them that they had been “getting away with too much for too long.” He went on to say that the state Supreme Court would no longer turn a blind eye to unethical conduct by prosecutors.

Donnie then said:

• “For too long we have looked the other way but that’s over.”
• “We are not just going to overturn convictions; we are going to take your licenses.”

It can’t be disputed that there are too many instances of prosecutors crossing the line in their zeal to convict; however, for a justice of the state’s highest court to basically prejudge cases before they land before the court requires that Beatty be removed from hearing any future appeals of criminal cases.

Unfortunately, an ethical lightweight like Donnie isn't likely to voluntarily do the right thing and remove himself from hearing future criminal cases.

As we speak (ca. October 2020), Donnie continues to sit as the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court in Columbia, South Carolina.