South Carolina Judge, 68, Charged in Child Sexual Abuse Material Case
A judge, entrusted with upholding the law and safeguarding the public, now stands accused of one of the gravest betrayals of trust: exploiting children through the consumption of sexual abuse material.
At 68 years old, Judge James B. Gosnell, Jr. of South Carolina was arrested after federal investigators linked online payments from his personal accounts to a distributor in the United Kingdom.
What began as flagged transactions reported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to a Homeland Security probe, which culminated in the discovery of a flash drive at Gosnell’s home. On it, agents say they found videos and images of infants, toddlers, and other children enduring sexual abuse.
For children, these are not just files. They are stolen fragments of innocence, records of violence and exploitation that should never exist. Every image represents a child whose dignity, safety, and right to grow free from harm was violated. For those affected children, each viewing perpetuates the original abuse, ensuring the crime continues long after the moment it was recorded.
The South Carolina Supreme Court acted swiftly, suspending Gosnell and stripping him of access to court records, citing the severe risk his continued service posed to the public and to the integrity of justice.
At the center of this story are not only questions of judicial misconduct but also the children whose suffering is commodified through such crimes. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms every child’s right to protection from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse.
