Judge Clifton Newman started his career as a practicing attorney and Assistant Solicitor of his own law practice. After 24 years as a practicing attorney, the South Carolina General Assembly unanimously elected him to the Circuit Court in 2000. Aside from his regular docket, he is a Business Court Judge and was appointed by the South Carolina Supreme Court to serve as a special referee in several complex matters. He served as the Presiding Judge over the Multi-Week Trial Docket, a specialized docket of complex construction and other multi-week cases along coastal South Carolina. He has presided in each of the forty-six counties of the state and over numerous high profile criminal cases including The State of South Carolina v. Michael Slager, a police shooting in Charleston County; The State of South Carolina v. Nathaniel Rowland, known as the “Fake Uber” case; and most recently, The State of South Carolina v. Richard Alexander Murdaugh. Among the many awards and honors he has received are: The Order of The Palmetto, Office of the Governor; Honorary Diplomate, The American Board of Trial Advocates; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Lifetime Achievement; The Matthew J. Perry Civility Award; The Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Trailblazer Award; and Honorary Doctor of Laws, South Carolina State University. Judge Newman retired in 2023 after 23 years of service and is now an active/retired circuit court judge and a mediator/arbitrator with JAMS, a leading dispute resolution firm. He received a Bachelor of Art and Juris Doctorate from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio.