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Maryland judicial nominating commissions
| Judicial nominating commissions |
|---|
 |
| Individual nominating committees |
| Select a committee in the dropdown below and click "Submit" to view information about that committee. |
| Methods of judicial selection |
| Partisan elections |
| Nonpartisan elections |
| Michigan method |
| Retention elections |
| Assisted appointment |
| Bar-controlled commission |
| Governor-controlled commission |
| Hybrid commission |
| Legislative elections |
| Gubernatorial appointment |
The Maryland judicial nominating commissions are a set of state and regional commissions in Maryland established by executive order that play a role in the state's judicial selection process.[1] A statewide commission handles nominations for the state's appellate courts—the Court of Appeals and Court of Special Appeals.[1] This commission consists of 17 members appointed by the governor and the Maryland State Bar Association.[2] Regional commissions handle nominations for the state's trial courts—district courts and circuit courts.[1] Each commission consists of 13 members appointed by the governor and local bar associations.[3]
To read more about the statewide commission responsible for the state's appellate courts, click here.
Maryland uses the assisted appointment method of judicial selection for its state courts. Using this method, the governor appoints state judges from a list of names submitted by the Judicial Nominating Commissions. This selection method is used for all of the appellate and trial courts in the state.
The Judicial Nominating Commissions are governor-controlled commissions, meaning the governor selects a majority of the commission members. As of September 18, 2025, 11 states used this type of commission. To learn more about controlling majorities in judicial selection commissions, click here.
Process
When a judicial vacancy occurs or will occur, the Administrative Office of the Courts, also known as the Secretariat, alerts the appropriate commission. The office also puts out requests for applications via press announcements and outreach to interested bar associations.[1] The appropriate commission meets to consider applications, recommendations from citizens, and recommendations from bar associations once the deadline for the vacancy passes. Either the full commission or specific panels interview each applicant. The commission then selects qualified candidates through a secret ballot by a majority vote of members present. The goal of the commission is to select three nominees to present to the governor, who must select a judge from that list.[1][4]
Control of judicial selection commissions
Assisted appointment is a method of judicial selection in which a nominating commission reviews the qualifications of judicial candidates and submits a list of names to the governor, who appoints a judge from the list.[5]
At the state supreme court level, this method is further divided into the following three types, based on the makeup of the judicial nominating commissions. Those types are:
- Governor-controlled commission - The governor is either responsible for appointing a majority of the members of the nominating commission or may decline to appoint a candidate from a list provided by the nominating commission.
- Bar-controlled commission - Members of the state Bar Association are responsible for electing a majority of the members of the nominating commission.
- Hybrid - There is no majority of members chosen by either the governor or the state Bar Association. The membership of these commissions is determined by different rules in each state.
Twenty-three courts in 22 states used assisted appointment to select state supreme court justices as of June 2021.[6][7] Maryland used a governor-controlled commission. The table below shows the number of courts using each variation of assisted appointment at the state supreme court level.
| Assisted appointment methods in state supreme courts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Courts (of 23) | ||
| Governor-controlled majority | 10 | ||
| Bar-controlled majority | 1 | ||
| Hybrid | 12 | ||
The map below highlights the states that use each of the three types of assisted appointment.
About judicial selection
Each state has a unique set of guidelines governing how they select judges at the state and local level. These methods of selection are:
Election
- Partisan election: Judges are elected by the people, and candidates are listed on the ballot alongside a label designating political party affiliation.
- Nonpartisan election: Judges are elected by the people, and candidates are listed on the ballot without a label designating party affiliation.
- Michigan method: State supreme court justices are selected through nonpartisan elections preceded by either partisan primaries or conventions.
- Retention election: A periodic process whereby voters are asked whether an incumbent judge should remain in office for another term. Judges are not selected for initial terms in office using this election method.
Assisted appointment
- Assisted appointment, also known as merit selection or the Missouri Plan: A nominating commission reviews the qualifications of judicial candidates and submits a list of names to the governor, who appoints a judge from the list.[5] At the state supreme court level, this method is further divided into the following three types:
- Bar-controlled commission: Members of the state Bar Association are responsible for electing a majority of the judicial nominating commission that sends the governor a list of nominees that they must choose from.
- Governor-controlled commission: The governor is responsible for appointing a majority of the judicial nominating commission that sends the governor a list of nominees they must choose from.
- Hybrid commission: The judicial nominating commission has no majority of members chosen by either the governor or the state bar association. These commissions determine membership in a variety of ways, but no institution or organization has a clear majority control.
Direct appointment
- Court appointment: Judges are selected by judges in the state judiciary.
- Gubernatorial appointment: Judges are appointed by the governor. In some cases, approval from the legislative body is required.
- Legislative election: Judges are selected by the state legislature.
- Municipal government selection: Judges are selected by the governing body of their municipality.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Maryland Manual On-Line, "Judicial Nominating Commissions," accessed Nov. 19, 2021
- ↑ Maryland Manual On-Line, "Appellate Courts Judicial Nominating Commission," accessed Nov. 19, 2021
- ↑ Maryland Manual On-Line, "Trial Courts Judicial Nominating Commissions," accessed Nov. 19, 2021
- ↑ The Office of Governor Wes Moore, "Executive Order 01.01.2023.04," accessed April 9, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 American Bar Association, "Judicial Selection: The Process of Choosing Judges," June 2008 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ambaroverview" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ As of June 2021, Oklahoma had two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ North Dakota uses this method only for vacancies.
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
