Judge Clifton B. Newman was born in Kingstree, South Carolina, in 1951, to the late Reverend Dr. Marion L. Newman, Sr., and Alice Singleton Newman.

He was raised in Greeleyville, South Carolina, where he graduated valedictorian of Williamsburg County Training School in 1969. His inspiration to pursue a legal career originated while playing the role of an attorney in a high school play centered around the 1954 school desegregation case of Brown v. Board of Education.

He received his undergraduate degree from Cleveland State University where he served as the President of Student Government and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

While attending Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, he served as Chief Justice of the University Judiciary – the student court – and worked for the Legal Aid Society representing indigent clients.

Upon receiving his Juris Doctor degree in 1976, he began practicing law in Cleveland, Ohio, where he formed the partnership of Belcher & Newman. Returning to South Carolina in 1982, Judge Newman started a private law practice in Columbia and Manning. The Manning office soon relocated to Kingstree, where the practice flourished. While continuing in private practice, he was appointed Assistant Solicitor for Williamsburg County in 1983. In 1994, he formed and served as managing partner of Newman & Sabb, P.A., with offices in Columbia, Kingstree and Lake City. After 24 years as a practicing attorney and 17 years as Assistant Solicitor, he was elected Circuit Court Judge by the South Carolina General Assembly on May 24, 2000.

Judge Newman received historical preservation awards for his work in restoring historic buildings in Kingstree and Columbia. Among his numerous accomplishments Judge Newman cites his designation as Patriarch of the Miles Newman Family as one of his most cherished. He succeeded his uncles, the late Senator I. DeQuincey Newman and Bishop Ernest W. Newman, as the leader of his family.

He is a member of I. DeQuincey Newman United Methodist Church where he faithfully serves as Chairperson of the Administrative Council. He is a member of the Ohio and South Carolina Bar Associations and is a member of the Executive Board of The I. DeQuincey Newman Institute for Peace and Social Change.

He is married to the former Patricia Blanton of Cleveland, Ohio, and they have four children – Corwyn, Jocelyn, Kellee, and Brian DeQuincey. Judge Newman enjoys traveling, spectator sports, and spending time "in the country."