COLUMBIA, S.C. — Retired South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal has been appointed to preside over Alex Murdaugh's efforts to secure a new trial for his murder conviction.
The South Carolina Supreme Court issued the order on Tuesday, replacing Judge Clifton Newman, who had presided over Murdaugh's six-week murder trial that culminated in two life sentences.
According to legal experts, this move comes after Judge Newman requested to be removed from any future petitions related to the murder charges.
"She's smart, thorough, she'll come prepared, she will be better prepared than the lawyers. She will ask insightful questions and she will make a ruling and she'll do it with dispatch," says Jay Bender, retired law professor.
Murdaugh's defense team is seeking a new murder trial based on their claim that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill, attempted to influence the jury.
Bender adds, "She will have read every document that's been filed. She will hear from the defense first. There are two motions for a new trial, one is a judicial motion that is filed in almost every case that there were errors in the conduct of the trial by the judge. The second, that's created the most excitement, is the claim that there was jury tampering."
Justice Toal, a trailblazer in South Carolina politics and law, became the first female State Supreme Court Justice in the state's history in 1988. Serving as Chief Justice from 2000 until her retirement in 2015, Toal is known for her thoroughness and preparation.
"It will come down to a credibility determination by former Chief Justice Toal, and that is going to be something that we're all I think the whole world will be watching very closely, to have her she is an absolute legal giant in the legal community. Her experience and reputation are beyond reproach," says Dayne Phillips, lawyer at Price Benowitz.
"Her thoroughness and preparation will be prepared to rule relatively quickly, by that I mean within weeks and not months," Bender adds.
Justice Toal will be responsible for deciding all matters related to the murder case.