In the primary election May 14, voters will decide which four out of five candidates will be judges for Maryland’s Circuit Court for Prince George’s County.
Circuit court in Maryland is the trial court for major civil cases and serious criminal cases, along with those involving juveniles and family court disputes. Judges on the ballot will serve as four of the 23 full-time circuit court judges in the county.
How do circuit court judges get their jobs?
Initially, Maryland’s governor typically appoints judges. To be eligible for appointment, nominees must be U.S. citizens, registered voters and Maryland lawyers at least 30 years of age. They have to have lived in the state for at least five years and in the county for at least six months.
The governor appoints candidates from lists created by local nominating commissions, which Maryland governors have set up for this purpose in various forms since 1970.
Next, after they are appointed and working, circuit court judges must stand for election; interested candidates may file to run against them, without being nominated, if they meet the basic qualifications. Winners of the election serve 15-year terms as judges. They may serve more terms following the same selection process but must retire by age 70.
Are judicial elections a good idea?
According to reporting by Maryland Matters, since 2002, more than a dozen judges have lost contested elections across the state. For the 30 years prior to that, judicial elections were rarely contested.
An effort to do away with contested judicial elections may lead to a constitutional amendment revising the judicial selection process coming before voters as soon as 2026.
Those who support judicial elections say elections build public trust in the courts and are a check on the governor’s power and a not-very-transparent process. Those who oppose judicial elections say fewer qualified candidates will want the jobs if they have to campaign for them, and that campaign contributions could compromise impartiality.
Which judges run for office?
Only circuit court judges, who are the trial judges for larger disputes, run for office.
All other Maryland judges have their appointments confirmed by the Maryland Senate. They don’t run in contested elections. The Senate confirms the appointment of the district court judges who settle misdemeanor, motor vehicle and landlord tenant cases, as well as other smaller disputes. The Senate also approves the appointment of judges in appeals courts and the Maryland Supreme Court. These higher court judges’ names do show up on ballots at the end of 10-year terms for yes-or-no retention votes. No one can run against appellate and supreme court judges – only against circuit court judges.
How did judges get on the ballot?
Former governor Larry Hogan appointed Donnell Turner September 2, 2022, and Darren Johnson and Stenise Rolle on January 9, 2023. Governor Wes Moore appointed Cheri Simpkins November 21, 2023.
Michael Sheehan is the only candidate who is not currently a judge and wasn’t appointed by a governor. He is running as a challenger.
How to vote
Polls will be open on May 14 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Early voting is available May 2 through May 9 at early voting centers.
Any voter may vote by mail; requests for mail-in ballots, for those not already on the permanent mail-in voter list, must be submitted May 10. To check your registration and request a mail-in ballot, go to tinyurl.com/58kebv8h.
Kit Slack is the Executive Director of Streetcar Suburbs Publishing. The publishing group includes three monthly newspapers along the Route One corridor, the Hyattsville Life & Times, the College Park Here & Now and The Laurel Independent, as well as the website Streetcar Suburbs News. This article is reprinted with permission.
