No reserved seats: Supreme Court sets rules for public, press for Murdaugh appeal
No reserved seats are among the rules published by the S.C. Supreme Court Tuesday afternoon for press and public who wish to attend the Feb. 11 hearing of Alex Murdaugh’s appeal of his double murder conviction.
Arguments in the case are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday Feb. 11 and are open to the public. The hearing could be lengthy — the issues are complex and the five high court justices traditionally have been open to exploring the dimensions of cases before them.
“Reserved seating will not be offered, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8:30 a.m.,” the Supreme Court said.
In a departure from normal Supreme Court practice over the years, and in an apparent nod to the journalists expected to attend, “Laptops and tablets are permitted in the courtroom provided that they do not make noise,” the Supreme Court’s notice said.
“Cell phones are also permitted, but they must be powered off. No cameras or video cameras are allowed in the courtroom, except those operated by SCETV,” the notice said.
“The oral arguments will be live streamed. The live stream can be accessed via the SCETV website and its Facebook and YouTube pages,” the notice said.
The Supreme Court courtroom has no individual seats. The audience sits on long benches. An estimated 100 people can fit in the courtroom, which is on Gervais Street in downtown Columbia across the State House.
The Murdaugh trial in Colleton County in the early months of 2023 was televised by Court TV and attracted millions of viewers.
Before and since the trial, the saga involving Murdaugh, the two murders he was convicted of — his wife Maggie and son Paul — and the millions he stole from his law firm and his clients have been fodder for numerous documentaries, television movies, podcasts and news stories.
The Murdaugh story also involved a powerful Lowcountry family and is regarded as a major embarrassment for South Carolina’s legal profession because it showed how easy it was for unscrupulous lawyers to steal from trusting clients.
Murdaugh, who is serving two life sentences at a South Carolina prison, contends he is innocent and that someone else killed his wife and son.
Arguments in the upcoming case before the SC Supreme Court are expected to be made by lead Attorney General prosecutor Creighton Waters and defense attorneys Dick Harpootlian, Jim Griffin and Phil Barber.
Although only Waters is expected to argue for the prosecution, key members of the government team including John Meadors, Don Zelenka and Attorney General Alan Wilson are expected to attend.
Although large numbers of people may view the upcoming hearing, one person who will likely not view the proceedings is S.C. Department of Corrections prisoner Number 00390394: Alex Murdaugh.
“Inmate Murdaugh does not have access to the internet, so he would not be able to watch the livestream from the S.C. Supreme Court. (Corrections) has not received a transport order to take him to the hearing, so there is no plan for his attendance in person at this time,” a S.C. Department of Corrections spokeswoman said Tuesday.
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 3:58 PM with the headline "No reserved seats: Supreme Court sets rules for public, press for Murdaugh appeal."