Rom Reddy Accuses S.C. Lawmaker of ‘Trying to Blackmail a Judge’

by WILL FOLKS

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Lowcountry, South Carolina businessman Rom Reddy – whom many believe is planning to enter the race for governor of South Carolina later this month – has publicly accused a sitting state lawmaker of attempting to shake down a candidate for the Palmetto State’s high court.

According to a Saturday afternoon (March 14, 2026) social media post from Reddy, veteran state representative Joe Bustos is alleged to have “openly informed” S.C chief administrative law judge Ralph K. Anderson III that he would vote against him in the latter’s bid for the supreme court, purportedly owing to the judge’s rulings in a matter involving Reddy.

Specifically, the founder of the DOGE SC movement accused Bustos of telling Anderson he “would not vote for him for the South Carolina supreme court and would campaign against him (which he did) because Judge Anderson did not fine me in the administrative court case involving the seawall.”

Our audience will recall Reddy represented himself last spring against a phalanx of attorneys with the S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) and the left-leaning S.C. Coastal Conservation League (SCCCL) – all of whom were hoping to compel him to remove an anti-erosion structure on his Isle of Palms property.

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Anderson presided over that case, proceedings during which he raised serious questions related to the regulatory claims made against Reddy’s property. Not only did the judge strike down a six-figure fine levied against Reddy, he reversed an earlier ruling which would have required the wealthy multi-millionaire to tear down the structure.

Reddy claimed this decision from Anderson “infuriated” Bustos, whom he described as “a Democrat in Republican clothing.”

“He responded by hurling personal insults at DOGESC and is now trying to blackmail a judge,” Reddy claimed, asserting to have received this information from “three reliable sources, one of whom is prepared to to provide an affidavit.”

As our regular audience will recall, the supreme court race in question – which featured Anderson, incumbent associate justice John Few, former S.C. House of Representatives’ speaker Jay Lucas and S.C. court of appeals judge Blake Hewitt as candidates – was scheduled to be held on March 4, 2026.

The race was cancelled, however, when Few dropped out of the running the day before the election – resetting the clock on the contest.

Had the election proceeded as planned, Lucas would have won in a landslide – much to the chagrin of those (like us) who believe the legislative branch shouldn’t be installing its former members on the bench.

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Bustos rebuked Reddy’s allegation, calling it “another Rom Reddy lie.” According to the retired Army colonel, he received a phone call from the businessman – which he “saved” – asking why he would not support Anderson’s candidacy.

“This shows the connection between Reddy and Anderson – and is probably why he has consistently worked for Reddy,” Bustos alleged. “Reddy also called me and said he was going to run someone against me, (and) that it would be nasty and well financed. I told him that is how it works.”

Reddy ally Woody Sprouse has previously announced his intention to challenge Bustos in this spring’s partisan primary election for S.C. House District 112 (.pdf), a seat Bustos has held for the past three terms. Sprouse’s candidacy was discussed in detail just last month in this expansive piece by our Dylan Nolan.

Count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised as to the latest developments in this emerging political drama out of the Lowcountry…

As for all of these upcoming elections, partisan primary races in South Carolina are scheduled for June 9, 2026. Filing for these races opens this coming Monday (March 16, 2026) at 12:00 p.m. EDT and closes two weeks later, at 12:00 p.m. EDT on March 30, 2026.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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