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Lamb, who resigned as a part-time magistrate several months ago, did not return messages left on his home and cell phones Monday afternoon. His attorney, John Freeman, did not return a call Monday night.
Similarly, calls to members of the state Office for Disciplinary Counsel, an agency that oversees the conduct of judges, were not returned Monday night.
A reprimand was the strongest punishment the Supreme Court could give Lamb since he already had resigned, the court's opinion said. He can never serve on the bench again without the state Supreme Court's permission.
In addition to calling crack cocaine a "black man's disease" while commenting on a warrant, the reprimand says Lamb "responded in an overly harsh manner to comments made by a speaker at a seminar on criminal domestic violence." It also says Lamb "admits in engaging in behavior that, while unintentional, could reasonably have been viewed as inappropriate by female employees."
Except for Lamb's remark about crack cocaine, specifics on exactly what he did or said in the other situations were not included in the court's opinion. Telephone calls to officials seeking details were not returned Monday night.
According to the opinion, Lamb and the state Office of Disciplinary Counsel reached an agreement in which Lamb admitted to the misconduct and consented to the reprimand.
The Office of Disciplinary Counsel, along with the Commission of Judicial Conduct, regulate judges in South Carolina. Disciplinary processes can be triggered with just a letter from the public lodging a complaint against a judge.
It was unclear how the disciplinary process against Lamb began.
Lamb served on the Beaufort County Council representing Bluffton and Daufuskie Island from 2001 to 2006, when he resigned to take the magistrate job. Council Chairman Weston Newton subsequently became the council member from that district.
Magistrates preside over criminal trials in which a defendant can be punished with a fine of up to $500 and up to 30 days in jail. They also handle small-claims civil cases.
The county has a full roster of judges that includes 10 magistrates, including seven who are full-time and one who works 39 hours per week, Beaufort County Chief Magistrate Rita Simmons said. That means the county doesn't need a part-time replacement for Lamb, she said.
"We haven't filled that position yet," she said. "We may not fill it."
Simmons said she had not been aware of the Supreme Court reprimand. Because she was not in her office Monday, she said she could not provide the exact date Lamb resigned. She said his resignation letter was short and offered no reason for stepping down.
