Claudia Barber
Claudia Barber is a former candidate for the Fifth Circuit Court in Maryland.[1] She was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016. Barber was the first black woman to appear on the general election ballot for circuit judge in Anne Arundel County.[2]
Biography
Barber received a bachelor's degree from Goucher College in 1980, a master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University in 1983, and a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1987. Barber became an administrative law judge in Washington, D.C. in 2005. She was a private practitioner from 1989 to 2005. Barber is a lifetime member of the National Bar Association and the National Association of Women Judges, where she was a District 4 director from 2010 to 2013 and served as the editor of the District 4 newsletter. She served as the president (2014) and the vice president (2012) of the DC Association of Administrative Law Judges.[3]
Elections
2016
Maryland held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on April 26, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 3, 2016.[4] Incumbent Donna Schaeffer, incumbent Cathleen M. Vitale, incumbent Stacy McCormack, and incumbent Glenn L. Klavans defeated Claudia Barber in the Maryland 5th Circuit Court general election for Anne Arundel County.[1]
| Maryland 5th Circuit Court (Anne Arundel County), General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Donna Schaeffer Incumbent |
22.59% | 154,044 |
| Cathleen M. Vitale Incumbent |
22.32% | 152,219 |
| Stacy McCormack Incumbent |
21.92% | 149,500 |
| Glenn L. Klavans Incumbent |
18.62% | 126,942 |
| Claudia Barber | 14.13% | 96,373 |
| Write-in votes | 0.41% | 2,807 |
| Total Votes | 681,885 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election Official Results," accessed January 18, 2016 | ||
| Maryland 5th Circuit Court (Anne Arundel County), Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Donna Schaeffer Incumbent |
20.29% | 37,713 |
| Cathleen M. Vitale Incumbent |
20.00% | 37,170 |
| Stacy McCormack Incumbent |
18.57% | 34,509 |
| Claudia Barber |
13.78% | 25,614 |
| Glenn L. Klavans Incumbent | 12.95% | 24,070 |
| Rickey Nelson Jones | 7.46% | 13,863 |
| Mark Howes | 6.96% | 12,928 |
| Total Votes | 185,867 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Judge of the Circuit Court," May 31, 2016 | ||
| Maryland 5th Circuit Court (Anne Arundel County), Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Cathleen M. Vitale Incumbent |
23.16% | 40,094 |
| Donna Schaeffer Incumbent |
20.87% | 36,142 |
| Stacy McCormack Incumbent |
20.33% | 35,207 |
| Glenn L. Klavans Incumbent |
18.66% | 32,304 |
| Mark Howes | 7.17% | 12,419 |
| Claudia Barber | 5.40% | 9,357 |
| Rickey Nelson Jones | 4.40% | 7,617 |
| Total Votes | 173,140 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Judge of the Circuit Court," May 31, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Assisted appointment
The 152 judges of the eight Maryland circuits are chosen by the governor with help from a nominating commission. The judges of this court do not need to be confirmed by the Maryland State Senate.[5][6]
Circuit judges serve for one year, after which they must run in nonpartisan elections if they wish to continue serving.[7] If re-elected, they serve for 15 years.[5][6]
The chief judge of each circuit court is chosen by seniority.[5]
Qualifications
To join either of these courts, a judge must be:[5]
- a U.S. and state citizen;
- a registered state voter;
- a state resident for at least five years;
- a circuit resident for at least six months;
- a state bar member;
- at least 30 years old; and
- under the age of 70 (retirement at 70 is mandatory).
Noteworthy events
In April 2016, former Fifth Circuit Judge Ronald H. Jarashow filed an ethics complaint against Barber, alleging that Barber, an administrative law judge in Washington, D.C., could not retain her position as a judge while running in a partisan election. Barber disagreed, saying there was "no ethics matter at issue because judges are on two ballots in Maryland, both Democrat and Republican." She continued, "Partisan is defined under (D.C.) law as one political party." Jarashow supported the four incumbents in the race.[8]
On August 2, 2016, the Washington, D.C., Office of Administrative Hearings ruled that Barber had violated her office's code of ethics.[9] Barber was removed from her position as an administrative judge, and she appealed the commission's decision. "I did NOT violate any ethics guidance or laws," said Barber. "I am confident that I will be fully vindicated."[10] As of January 11, 2018, Barber's appeal was pending.[11]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Claudia Barber Maryland. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Listing: Judge of the Circuit Court"
- Official campaign website
- Claudia Barber on Facebook
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Listing: Judge of the Circuit Court," February 4, 2016
- ↑ Capital Gazette, "Barber to be first African-American judicial candidate on general election ballot," April 27, 2016
- ↑ Biographical candidate submission to Ballotpedia on July 5, 2016
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Election Dates," accessed February 4, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Maryland," archived October 27, 2010
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Maryland; Overview," archived October 26, 2010
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Judicial Elections," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Capital Gazette, "Ethics complaint filed against Circuit Court judge candidate," April 21, 2016
- ↑ Capital Gazette, "Ruling: Anne Arundel Circuit Court candidate committed ethics violation at D.C. job," August 18, 2016
- ↑ Capital Gazette, "Candidate for judge files appeal in ethics violation case," September 14, 2016
- ↑ Capital Gazette, "Judge dismisses complaint against elections board by former Anne Arundel judicial candidate," January 11, 2018
Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Maryland • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Maryland
State courts:
Maryland Supreme Court • Appellate Court of Maryland • Maryland District Courts • Maryland Circuit Courts • Maryland Orphans' Court
State resources:
Courts in Maryland • Maryland judicial elections • Judicial selection in Maryland
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