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Judges appointed by Wes Moore
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This page lists judges appointed by Wes Moore (D) during his term as Governor of Maryland. As of today, the total number of Moore appointees was 4. For the full profile of Moore, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Maryland judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Moore.
Appointment process
In Maryland, the governor makes a judicial appointment following recommendations by the Maryland Judicial Nominating Commission. Before taking office, the judges must be confirmed by the Maryland Senate. Appointees to the circuit court and orphans' court must run for the seat in future elections.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state. These lists are updated automatically with new appointments.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Maryland Supreme Court 4th Circuit |
July 31, 2024 - Present |
Appellate Division
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Appellate Court of Maryland 1st Appellate Circuit |
April 11, 2024 - Present |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Maryland 8th Circuit Court Baltimore City |
December 23, 2023 - Present |
|
|
Maryland 8th Circuit Court Baltimore City |
December 23, 2023 - Present |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Maryland
| Judicial selection in Maryland | |
 | |
| Maryland Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 10 years |
| Maryland Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 10 years |
| Maryland Circuit Court | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 15 years |
| Maryland District Court | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 10 years |
| Maryland Orphans' Court | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Maryland, including:
- Maryland Supreme Court,
- Appellate Court of Maryland,
- Maryland Circuit Courts, and
- Limited jurisdiction courts
As of April 2023, judges for all courts in the state except the Maryland Circuit Courts and Maryland Orphans' Court were selected through the assisted appointment method, where the governor selects a nominee from a list provided by a nominating commission. Judges of the Maryland Circuit Court were also selected through the assisted appointment method, but the court also used nonpartisan elections.[2] Judges of the Maryland Orphans' Court are selected in partisan elections.
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[3] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[4] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[5] | 1[6] | 17[7] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Maryland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 5,994,983 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 9,707 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 57.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 29.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 37.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $74,551 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 10.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Maryland. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Maryland
Maryland voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Maryland coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Maryland
- United States congressional delegations from Maryland
- Public policy in Maryland
- Endorsers in Maryland
- Maryland fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Maryland Courts, "Judicial Selection: Maryland Judicial Vacancies," accessed March 26, 2015
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Maryland," accessed August 16, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
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
