Murdaugh Judge Clifton Newman: From segregated schools to 'the best we want in our jurists.'
Few watching the six-week trial of convicted double murderer Alex Murdaugh was unmoved by the extraordinary and highly personal 15-minute admonishment that presiding Judge Clifton B. Newman gave the once prominent lawyer before sentencing him to life in prison Friday.
For many South Carolina residents, the optics of watching Newman, 71, African American who grew up going to the state's segregated schools, rule with such finality over the fate of the scion of one of the most potent legal families in the state was astonishing.
So were the sometimes harsh but heartfelt words Newman spoke to Murdaugh, often sounding more like a pastor than a judge.
"Judge Newman took me to church!" said a longtime trial observer who lives in Charleston. Newman lost his son, Brian, 40, a former Columbia, SC, city councilman, in January, reportedly from a cardiac issue, just weeks before the Murdaugh trial.
Newman suggested Murdaugh had a "monster" inside him and remarked that he must be "visited" by the ghosts of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul, every night.
Murdaugh, 54, was convicted of slaughtering his family with a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle at the dog kennels at the Murdaugh hunting lodge in Islandton, SC, on June 7, 2021.
Few watching the six-week trial of convicted doubler murderer Alex Murdaugh were unmoved by the extraordinary and highly personal 15-minute admonishment that presiding Judge Clifton B. Newman gave the once prominent lawyer before sentencing him to life prison Friday.
For many South Carolina residents, the optics of watching Newman, 71, African American who grew up going to the state's segregated schools, rule with such finality over the fate of the scion of one of the most potent legal families in the state was astonishing.
So were the sometimes harsh but heartfelt words Newman spoke to Murdaugh, often sounding more like a pastor than a judge.
"Judge Newman took me to church!" said a longtime trial observer who lives in Charleston.
Newman lost his son, Brian, 40, a former Columbia, SC, city councilman, in January, reportedly from a cardiac issue, just weeks before the Murdaugh trial.
Newman suggested Murdaugh had a "monster" inside him and remarked that he must be "visited" by the ghosts of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul, every night. Murdaugh, 54, was convicted of slaughtering his family with a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle at the dog kennels at the Murdaugh hunting lodge in Islandton, SC, on June 7, 2021.
'The best that we want in our jurists'
Newman grew up in rural Williamsburg County, about 80 miles northwest of Charleston and was the first person in his family born in a hospital, the Post and Courier reported.
He left for college at Cleveland State University in Ohio in 1969, having never attended school with a white person in his life. He later went to law school, moved his family back to South Carolina and ultimately became a judge who knew Alex Murdaugh and his family as lawyers.
The Colleton County courthouse in Walterboro, SC, where the Murdaugh trial took place, is fronted by a vast Confederate memorial. It was also once one of the bases for the notorious, pro-slavery "Fire-eaters" like Robert Barnwell Rhett, a one-time US Senator from the state who gave thundering speeches in the 1830s, '40s and '50s in favour of secession and slaveholder rights — and were credited in part for spurring on what became the Civil War.
"A people, owning slaves, are mad, or worse than mad, who do not hold their destinies in their own hands," Rhett said in one of his early orations. Linda Bryan, 61, who grew up in Hampton County and knew the Murdaugh family, told The Post it was a very different environment for black people when she and Newman were growing up.
"The Murdaughs put both white and black people in jail, and the blacks usually got more time than white people," Bryan recalled. "But the Murdaughs were so powerful, there wasn't much anyone could do. It was incredible to see Judge Newman up there taking care of business so the Murdaughs won't be able to continue with their corruption."
Race relations at that time in the area were terrible, she said.
"I was called a half-breed and a house n—-r," Bryan, now an evangelist in Hilton Head, SC, told The Post. "My dad would take me to this restaurant in town to buy food, and we had to go around the back. When I asked him why, he said that's where the black folks had to go."
Bryan attended the all-black Fennell Elementary School in Yemassee, SC, and she clearly remembers a white teacher there who would wear a white coat to school and put her hand in her pocket to open the front door — every day.
The teacher would also take out a tissue every time she had to use the same pencil sharpener her black students did.
"The assumption was she did all that so she wouldn't have to touch what we touched," Bryan said. "That's how it was for people like Judge Newman and me."
"Judge Newman represents the best that we want in our jurists," Eric Bland, a prominent Columbia SC attorney who represents the sons of Murdaugh's dead housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, and other Murdaugh victims, told The Post Saturday.
"He has a reserved, even temperament and has a quiet, heroic commanding presence. He is no (O.J. Simpson Judge) Lance Ito, nor is he like the Anna Nicole Smith case judge. He lets the lawyers present their cases and controls his courtroom."
Dick Harpootlian, one of Alex Murdaugh's two defence lawyers, was less glowing when asked about Newman on Saturday. Harpootlian has said he plans a strong appeal in Murdaugh's case.
"In general, he's a good judge," Harpootlian told The Post. "But I think he made some errors in judgment in this case."
Murdaugh Judge Clifton Newman: From segregated schools to 'the best we want in our jurists.'
During the six-week trial of Alex Murdaugh, who was found guilty of the murder of two people, many were deeply moved by the 15-minute admonishment given by Judge Clifton B. Newman before sentencing him to life in prison. For South Carolina residents, it was a striking sight to see Newman, an African American who grew up attending segregated schools, presiding over the fate of a member of one of the most potent legal families in the state. Newman's words to Murdaugh were sometimes harsh but also heartfelt, with some saying he sounded more like a pastor than a judge. In fact, one observer of the trial even said, "Judge Newman took me to church!" It's noteworthy that Newman had recently lost his son to a cardiac issue just before the trial began. During the admonishment, Newman suggested that Murdaugh had a "monster" inside him and remarked that he must be haunted by the ghosts of his wife and son every night. Murdaugh, convicted of using a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle to slaughter his family at the Murdaugh hunting lodge in Islandton, SC, on June 7, 2021, will now spend the rest of his life in prison. The trial of Alex Murdaugh, who was found guilty of killing two people, lasted for six weeks, and during that time, Judge Clifton B. Newman gave Murdaugh a 15-minute admonishment before sentencing him to life in prison. Many people were deeply affected by Newman's words, which were both scathing and heartfelt.
Newman, African American who attended segregated schools in South Carolina, presided over the fate of a member of one of the most potent legal families in the state, which was a sight that left many people in awe. Some observers even said that Newman's words took them to church, as he sometimes sounded more like a pastor than a judge. It's noteworthy that Newman had recently lost his son to a cardiac issue just before the trial began. During the admonishment, Newman suggested that Murdaugh had a "monster" inside him and commented that he must be visited by the ghosts of his wife and son every night. Murdaugh was convicted of using a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle to kill his family at the Murdaugh hunting lodge in Islandton, SC. Judge Newman is widely regarded as an excellent jurist and someone who embodies the qualities we look for in our judges. According to the Post and Courier, he grew up in Williamsburg County and was the first person in his family to be born in a hospital.
During the six-week trial of convicted double murderer Alex Murdaugh, many were moved by the judge's highly personal 15-minute admonishment before sentencing him to life in prison. For residents of South Carolina, it was surprising to see Judge Clifton B. Newman, who grew up in the state's segregated schools, make the final ruling on the fate of a prominent lawyer from one of the most potent legal families in the state.
Newman's words to Murdaugh were both scathing and heartfelt, resembling more of a pastor than a judge. Some observers even exclaimed, "Judge Newman took me to church!"
Newman, who lost his son just weeks before the trial, suggested that Murdaugh had a "monster" inside him and must be visited by the ghosts of his wife and son every night.
Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his family with a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle at the Murdaugh hunting lodge in Islandton, SC, in 2021.
Newman grew up in a rural area where he never attended school with white people before college. He later became a judge who knew the Murdaugh family as lawyers.
The courthouse in Walterboro, where the trial took place, has a Confederate memorial out front and was once a base for pro-slavery "Fire-eaters" like Robert Barnwell Rhett, who was credited with spurring the Civil War.
According to Linda Bryan, who grew up in Hampton County and knew the Murdaugh family, it was a very different environment for black people when she and Newman were growing up. The Murdaughs were powerful and often put white and black people in jail, but the blacks usually got more time. It was incredible to see Judge Newman up there taking care of business so that the Murdaughs won't be able to continue with their corruption. Race relations at that time in the area were terrible, she said.
Bryan, now a Hilton Head, SC evangelist, shared with The Post that she was subjected to racial slurs such as "half-breed" and "house n—-r." She recounted how she and her father had to go around the back of a restaurant in town to purchase food because that was where black people were expected to go. Bryan attended Fennell Elementary School, an all-black school in Yemassee, SC, where she had a white teacher who wore a white coat to school and used a tissue every time she had to use the same pencil sharpener as her black students. Bryan and Judge Newman experienced similar treatment due to their race. Eric Bland, a prominent Columbia SC attorney representing the sons of Murdaugh's deceased housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, as well as other victims of the Murdaugh case, commended Judge Newman as a role model for judges.
According to one source, Judge Newman possesses a calm, composed demeanour and commands respect without being overtly heroic, unlike Judge Lance Ito from the O.J. Simpson trial or the judge in the Anna Nicole Smith case. The source mentioned that Judge Newman allows lawyers to present their issues and maintains control over his courtroom. However, Dick Harpootlian, one of Alex Murdaugh's defence lawyers, had a different perspective. While acknowledging that Judge Newman is generally a good judge, Harpootlian stated that he made errors in judgment during Murdaugh's case. Harpootlian disagreed with the judge's decision to admit testimony about the 99 financial crimes that Murdaugh is accused of, arguing that it unfairly influenced the jury's perception of his client. Harpootlian also claimed that the prosecution's use of the financial crimes to establish motive was unnecessary, and the issue will be crucial in the appeal.