Dr. Jason Boyle Files Emergency Letter to South Carolina Court of Appeals Alleging Judicial Misconduct in Oconee County

In a striking escalation of his ongoing battle against judicial misconduct in Oconee County, South Carolina, Dr. Jason Michael Boyle has issued an emergency letter to the South Carolina Court of Appeals, calling for the immediate removal of Circuit Judge Lawton McIntosh from the bench before he can cause further harm to the people of South Carolina. The letter, published in full below, accuses both the Oconee County Probate Court and the Tenth Circuit Court of systematic abuses of power, violations of constitutional rights, and open defiance of the rule of law.

Dr. Boyle’s plea follows a series of deeply troubling proceedings that began in the Oconee County Probate Court, where he was twice sentenced to jail without a case number—first for ten days, then for fifty—for allegedly violating a Supreme Court administrative order that carries no criminal penalty. Court records clearly show that during these proceedings, Judge Danny Singleton acted simultaneously as witness, prosecutor, and victim, blurring every boundary of judicial ethics. The appeal of that decision, reviewed by Judge Lawton McIntosh in the Tenth Circuit Court, resulted in what Boyle describes as “a blatant act of disregard for the integrity of the judiciary and the decency of humankind.”

The letter further alleges that Judge McIntosh has since continued to preside over cases involving Boyle’s wife, despite multiple requests for recusal. Boyle argues that the judge’s continued involvement reflects a pattern of “blatant vindictiveness” and that the failure of higher courts to intervene effectively endorses ongoing misconduct in the Oconee County judicial system.

In publishing this letter, Boyle issues a stark warning to the state judiciary: that silence in the face of corruption is complicity. His words are not merely a personal appeal—they serve as an indictment of a system he believes has been captured by political influence and shielded from accountability. The full text of Dr. Boyle’s emergency letter to the South Carolina Court of Appeals is provided below.

To the Honorable Judges of the South Carolina Court of Appeals,

I am writing this letter as an emergency plea for intervention. The Circuit Court of Oconee County has exhibited vindictive behavior in the management of both my case and my wifes’ cases. These malicious actions have not been subtle or inadvertent. In fact, they have often been bold, transparent, and in direct opposition to the law, the American Constitution, and the fundamental principles of justice. There exists in Oconee County an entrenched system designed to protect the misconduct of state actors at all levels, including the Sheriff’s Department, local police departments, the Solicitor’s Office, and others who have earned favor with the judges and the unknown powers that be.

It is not my intent to address before this Court matters that fall outside the boundaries of my own case. However, my case is clear. The Probate Court of Oconee County has aggressively violated my rights. I was denied a public defender, summoned to court under an irrelevant civil case number, and sentenced to jail twice—without any case number—for the same alleged infraction. These proceedings took place in a “trial” where the judge acted as lead witness, prosecutor, supervisor of the witnesses he called to the stand, investigator collecting statements and affidavits, and the alleged victim.

To further compound this injustice, I was convicted of violating an order which, as the court record clearly shows, I had no knowledge of. Judge Danny Singleton stated that “ignorance of the law is no excuse,” thereby demonstrating a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between enforcement of a court order and a violation of state law. Furthermore, the order I was accused of violating is a South Carolina Supreme Court administrative order, which carries no criminal provision. Yet, I was sentenced twice without a case number—once for ten days and again for fifty. Judge McIntosh reviewed all of these circumstances in the appeal held before the Tenth Circuit Court and nevertheless upheld the ruling of Probate Judge Danny Singleton, in a blatant act of disregard for the integrity of the judiciary and the decency of humankind.

Now, Judge McIntosh continues to preside over my wife’s cases with blatant vindictiveness. He has been asked to recuse himself and has refused. Again, I do not feel it is my position to disclose the full details of Judge McIntosh’s conduct or that of the other judges of the Tenth Circuit as it pertains to my wife’s cases. However, it is apparent from his flagrant defiance of law and decency—particularly when he upheld the ruling of the Probate Court in a hearing that clearly demonstrated the disorder and impropriety of the June 17, 2024, probate proceedings—that Judge McIntosh’s conduct is incompatible with the integrity expected of the judiciary. Judge McIntosh must be stopped. When this Court denies requests for sanctions against him and fails to report him to the appropriate authorities as required by law, it effectively condones the ongoing misconduct of the Oconee County courts.

There are numerous trials scheduled in the coming months where it is reasonable to expect that the court will again act to defend the state at the expense of the rights of civilians. If this Court fails to act, the resulting injustices will rest upon those who were obligated to intervene but chose inaction.

I wish to emphasize that it is not my intention to show disrespect to this Court. However, we live in a county where the law has become a tool of the powerful. Both the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the Attorney General’s Office have demonstrated a willingness to protect state actors, even when doing so comes at the expense of the citizens’ well-being. They do this with the full protection of the courts as was clearly shown in my case. Who will protect the people? What is a moral person to do when following decorum means ignoring the catastrophe that is punishing the vulnerable? I have exercised patience for as long as possible, yet now is not the time for silence. There is too much at stake, and the wheels of justice turn too slowly to prevent further harm in time.

I respectfully pray that this Court will act with urgency and integrity by taking immediate emergency action to remove Judge McIntosh from the bench, or at the very least, prevent him from presiding over any cases involving my family.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

DR. JASON MICHAEL BOYLE, Ph.D., Appellant