Overview
- The South Carolina Supreme Court issued an order on Monday, June 8, 2026, assigning Circuit Judge Debra R. McCaslin to preside over all general sessions matters tied to the 2021 murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
- The order gives McCaslin exclusive jurisdiction over jury trials, motions and civil-forfeiture actions related to the indictments and says she will retain control of the case regardless of where court is held.
- The assignment follows the Supreme Court’s May 13 decision to reverse the circuit court’s denial of Alex Murdaugh’s October 2023 motion for a new trial and to remand the case for further proceedings.
- The brief June 8 order did not set a new trial date and left outstanding pretrial issues unresolved, while prosecutors have said they intend to retry Murdaugh and he remains jailed on separate financial-crime convictions.
- The centralized assignment clears a single judge to decide likely venue disputes, consolidate parallel forfeiture and pretrial fights, and therefore to shape how quickly and where any retrial will happen, which affects victims’ family members and public access to proceedings.