On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, WSPA reported that the South Carolina Supreme Court publicly reprimanded former Spartanburg County Magistrate Court Judge James E. Crook for showing explicit photographs to a colleague. The reprimand was issued as part of a disciplinary agreement between Crook and the state’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC).
The incident occurred on October 14, 2024, when a woman identified as J.J., an employee at the Spartanburg County Magistrate Court, entered Crook’s office to provide information regarding upcoming bond arraignments. Crook admitted to asking J.J. “How well are you at guessing someone’s age?” before showing her photographs of a woman in her underwear and sexually explicit positions.
According to the court documents, after J.J. left his office, Crook called out to her, stating, “I just want you to know I’m not a pervert,” before she ended the conversation. J.J. reported the incident to her supervisor, who then notified two judges, including the chief magistrate. Subsequently, a formal complaint, including a written statement, was filed with the ODC.
Crook admitted to showing the photographs to the woman and acknowledged that doing so was inappropriate. However, he denied that he was attempting to insinuate any attraction to her.
As part of the disciplinary agreement, Crook resigned from his position as judge and agreed not to seek another judicial position in South Carolina in the future. He is also required to pay the costs incurred by the ODC’s investigation and prosecution of his conduct.
Source: WSPA
