Representative Gil Gatch has been called an outspoken opponent of judicial reform in South Carolina and one of the more powerful lawyer-legislators who hand-picks judges; however, there is much more to the story as detailed in recordings by a former client.
As we reported yesterday, the Carlton Walker family had previously been represented by Gatch in his family court debacle set to resume in Charleston next week. At the helm in that case is Judge Daniel Martin who, despite having two opponents, hopes to be able to pivot to Circuit Court in the pending election.
Gatch on Judge Martin: “completely unjust” actions that are “stupid” and “breaks my heart.” “Absolutely insane” decisions that made the lawyer-legislator “personally angry.”
In the recording made by Walker, Gatch can also be heard repeatedly saying (regarding witnesses’ testimony): “I don’t think it’s going to matter.” This statement by a seasoned attorney implies that there is evidence of a (highly unethical) predetermined verdict in a disputed custody case.
The JMSC report on candidate qualifications reported that the Commission’s investigation did not reveal any unethical conduct on this questionable judge. Also reported by the Commission was that Judge Martin is, in fact, intelligent, mentally capable, and knowledgeable, with no substantiated grievances against him.
Movement around judicial reform has catapulted to center stage lately as the South Carolina Freedom Caucus (SCFC) has consistently advocated for the meaningful change of the Judicial Merit Select Commission (JMSC). Though lawyer-legislators such as Val Guest, Chris Murphy, Weston Newton, and Tommy Pope traditionally score poorly on conservative issues, Gatch is among the lowest of those with whom he caucuses. According to CPAC, Gatch voted in support of conservative issues only 40% of the time in 2023; this was considerably less than a veteran Democrat.
More Mean Tweets for the SCFC
Gatch’s newest mean tweets that seek to discredit the Freedom Caucus’ stance on judicial reform appears to be in direct contradiction to the problems he identified and experienced in our current judicial system. In the audio, Attorney Gatch sounds incensed that his client’s parental rights and visitation have been robbed by an attorney ‘expert’ who has never clinically evaluated his client.
Though Gatch appears to be a fierce legal advocate for his client in the audio, according to Walker, his advocacy came with a huge price — approximately $196,000 in legal fees.
Some tweets age better than others.
On its face (or called prima facie in the courtroom), a lying politician is not huge news; however, in such a case where a lawyer-legislator has allegedly fleeced a middle-income family… while they are stripped of their rights to parent and grandparent…while ostensibly failing to report judicial and lawyer misconduct…while denying the horrific problem that rogue judges are to his constituents…while toeing the line with the supermajority that vilify those dedicated to reform the system… some may feel compelled to ask if the real Gil Gatch will please stand up?
