COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – The Supreme Court of South Carolina on Wednesday dismissed an appeal submitted on behalf of disgraced Hampton County attorney Alex Murdaugh seeking the court’s intervention in setting his bond.
Murdaugh’s attorneys petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus in November after Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman denied Murdaugh’s bond for the second time.
Habeas corpus protects against unlawful or indefinite imprisonment of a person. According to Cornell Law, it “stands as a safeguard against imprisonment of those held in violation of the law, by ordering the responsible enforcement authorities to provide valid reasons for the detention. Thus, the writ is designed to obtain immediate relief from unlawful impeachment, by ordering immediate release unless with sufficient legal reasons and grounds.”
In the time since the petition was filed in November, Murdaugh has been indicted on the charges for which Newman denied bond. He was also indicted on a slew of additional charges for which Circuit Court Judge Alison Lee set a bond of $7 million.
The Supreme Court ruled that Murdaugh’s request is no longer relevant, saying:
“Because [Murdaugh] has been indicted on the charges for which the Honorable Clifton Newman denied bond after his arrest, and the Honorable Alison Lee has set bond for [Murdaugh] on those charges, the request for a writ of habeas corpus is moot.”