Jean Hoefer Toal
Former chief justice · Judge at the new-trial hearing
Maggie and Paul Murdaugh
Who They Are
Jean Hoefer Toal became the first woman to serve on South Carolina’s Supreme Court when she joined it in 1988. She became chief justice in 2000. Her official biography records a philosophy degree from Agnes Scott College and a 1968 law degree from the University of South Carolina.
Before joining the court, she practiced law for twenty years and served thirteen years in the state House of Representatives. After retirement from the Supreme Court, she continued judicial work as a senior active judge.
Why This Face Matters
Toal heard Alex Murdaugh’s request for a new trial on January 26 and 29, 2024. She denied it. The Supreme Court later reversed that ruling on May 13, 2026.
Her hearing created the record of testimony about former clerk Rebecca Hill’s contact with jurors. Readers should distinguish that post-trial hearing from Newman’s original trial and McCaslin’s later retrial assignment.
Role
Former chief justice · Judge at the new-trial hearing
Connection
Heard the jury-interference motion in 2024
Key event
Post-trial hearing January 26 and 29, 2024
Footnotes
South Carolina Judicial Branch: official biography
South Carolina Supreme Court: Opinion 28329 and hearing history, May 13, 2026
Photograph: Sallie Dixon / U.S. Courts, 2014. Original photograph and caption · Wikimedia Commons public-domain record.
