Philip Stoll graduated from Wofford College and practiced law before entering public service. He served in the State House of Representatives and as solicitor of the third judicial circuit. During World War I, he served in the United States Army, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. Stoll was elected to Congress and later served as a judge, including presiding over a highly criticized case in 1944.

Philip Stoll's judicial career is marked by a stark contradiction: his involvement in a highly controversial death sentence of a young African American teenager, juxtaposed with his long service as a judge. This raises questions about his judicial philosophy and the consistency of his approach to justice.