Maryland judicial elections, 2014

Maryland judicial elections, 2014
Overview
Total candidates:	169
Primary candidates:	153
General election candidates:	136
Incumbency
Incumbents:	84
Incumbent success rate:	87%
Competition - general election
Percent of candidates in contested races:	67%
Percent uncontested:	29%
Percent retention:	4%

2015 → ← 2013
Judicial Elections
Judicial elections, 2014
Judicial election dates
Candidates by state
Supreme court elections

The focus of the Maryland judicial elections in 2014 was the trial courts. Judges of the circuit and orphans' courts competed in partisan primaries and then a nonpartisan general election in 2014. Though the primaries were partisan, candidates could cross-file with both major parties.

A majority of this state's November elections were competitive, as only 40 out of the 169 total candidates ran unopposed. The contested races saw 11 incumbents defeated, though all five judges facing retention were successful by wide margins.

See Maryland elections summary, 2014 for an overview of this state's election results.

Election dates

• February 25: Filing deadline
• June 24: Primary
• November 4: General election

In addition to candidate lists, this page includes information about how the state's judicial elections work, as well as articles about noteworthy news in races across the state.

General election: Contested races

(I) denotes incumbent

First Circuit Court, Wicomico County

• Jimmy Sarbanes (I), 55.6%A
• Melvin Caldwell Jr., 44.3%A

Sixth Circuit Court, Frederick County

• Danny Brian O'Connor (I), 48.7%A
• Scott Rolle, 51.1%A

Sixth Circuit Court, Montgomery County (4 seats)

• Audrey A. Creighton (I), 20.0%A
• Daniel Patrick Connell, 17.9%A
• Gary Eugene Bair (I), 20.4%A
• Joan E. Ryon (I), 21.4%A
• Nelson W. Rupp, Jr. (I), 20.0%A

Seventh Circuit Court, Charles County (2 seats)

• Hayward James West (I), 39.9%A
• Jerome Richard Spencer (I), 29.6%A
• Thomas R. Simpson, Jr., 30.3%A

Orphans Court, Allegany County (3 seats)

• Billie J. Gilpin (I), 27.8%A
• Charles "Buck" Taylor, 14.7%A
• Donna F. May (I), 31.5%A
• Edward C. Crossland, 26.0%A

Orphans Court, Anne Arundel County (3 seats)

• Alan Rzepkowski, 23.3%A
• Judith L. Duckett (I), 28.8%A
• Nancy B. Hirshman, 18.7%A
• Nancy Phelps (I), 28.9%A

Orphans Court, Baltimore County (3 seats)

• Arthur M. Frank, 24.0%A
• Juliet Fisher (I), 28.0%A
• Peter V. Gargano, 22.6%A
• William Evans (I), 25.1%A

Orphans Court, Carroll County (3 seats)

• Cathy Reese (I), 25.1%A
• Charles E. Harrison, 8.5A
• Dorothy V. Utz (I), 26.3%A
• Ed Leister, 9.5%A
• John D. Carbaugh, 23.4%A
• Neil Ridgely, 7.2%A

Orphans Court, Cecil County (3 seats)

• Carolyn Crouch (I), 27.7%A
• Pete Pritchard, 22.8%A
• Richard Charles Bartel, 10.7%A
• Sally Saunders Camp, 24.1%A
• W. Edwin Cole, Jr. (I), 14.7%A

Orphans Court, Charles County (3 seats)

• Darlene Breck, 26.7%A
• Brian L. Still, 18.6%A
• Frank H. Lancaster (I), 26.6%A
• J. Lorraine Berry (I), 27.9%A

Orphans Court, Frederick County (3 seats)

• Adrian Remsberg (I), 19.8%A
• Bonnie L. Nicholson, 13.5%A
• Cleopatra Campbell (I), 20.1%A
• James Edward French, 13.0%A
• Janis Judson, 13.4%A
• Jimmy W. Trout, 20.2%A

Orphans Court, Garrett County (3 seats)

• Fred Sanders, 41.1%A
• H. Wayne Wilt (I), 39.1%A
• Everett B. Deberry 1.7%A (write-in)
• Dan Duggan 13.7% A (write-in)
• Dave Beard 4.0%A (write-in)

Orphans Court, Howard County (3 seats)

• Anne Dodd (I), 22.6%A
• Ellen Harrison, 18.7%A
• Emma Travis-Howard, 16.9%A
• Leslie Smith Turner (I), 21.2%A
• Nicole Bormel Miller, 20.4%A

Orphans Court, Kent County (3 seats)

• Amy L. Nickerson, 20.1%A
• Elroy G. Boyer, Jr. (I), 22.0%A
• Paul M. Showalter, 17.3%A
• Rosalie Brady Kuechler, 18.9%A
• Elizabeth Carroll, 21.5%A

Orphans Court, Queen Anne's County (3 seats)

• Eric Wargotz, 22.8%A
• Joseph V. DiPietro (I), 24.3%A
• Kimberly Jean Cascia (I), 27.0%A
• Stan Ruddie, 8.8%A
• Thomas M. Walsh (I), 16.9%A

Orphans Court, Somerset County (3 seats)

• Bob McCready, 20.3%A
• Donald L. Howard (I), 19.9%A
• John R. Somers (I), 25.6%A
• Kenneth E. Ballard, Jr., 13.1%A
• Libby M. Hall, 20.9%A

Orphans Court, St. Mary's County (3 seats)

• Albert Babcock, 18.6%A
• Dalton Wood (I), 25.9%A
• Linda Dean (I), 17.5%A
• Michael R. White (Maryland), 19.5%A
• William Miles Mattingly (I), 18.4%A

Orphans Court, Washington County (3 seats)

• Cassandra Laverne Costley, 22.5%A
• Eileen W. Wiggins (I), 12.5%A
• John M. Shriver (I), 25.8%A
• Joseph W. Eichelberger, 24.7%A
• Linda Davis (Maryland) (I), 14.5%A

Orphans Court, Wicomico County (3 seats)

• Grover Green Cantwell, Jr., 30.0%A
• Melissa Pollitt Bright (I), 24.2%A
• Norma Lee Barkley (I), 23.8%A
• Peter D. Evans, 21.8%A

Orphans Court, Worcester County (3 seats)

• J. Franklin Knight, 21.8%A
• John Dale Smack, III (I), 28.8%A
• Linda M. Hess (I), 26.9%A
• William D. Shockley (I), 22.4%A

Retentions

The following judges were retained in the general election. In retention elections, the incumbent judge is not being evaluated against an opponent. Rather, he or she simply receives votes of "yes" to retain or "no", do not retain.

Appellate courts

Court	Judge	Votes
Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically.
Maryland Court of Special Appeals	Andrea M. Leahy-Fucheck	85.8%A
Maryland Court of Special Appeals	Douglas R. M. Nazarian	79.3%A
Maryland Court of Special Appeals	Kevin Francis Arthur	84.8%A
Maryland Court of Special Appeals	Michael Wilson Reed	87.8%A
Maryland Court of Appeals	Shirley Marie Watts	88.4%A

General election: Uncontested

The following candidates ran unopposed in the general election.

Trial courts

Court	Candidate
Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically.
8th Judicial Circuit	Alfred Nance
Orphans Court of Prince George's County	Athena Malloy Groves
Second Circuit Court	Brenda A. Sexton
Orphans Court of Dorchester County	Calvin Travers
Orphans Court of Dorchester County	Carolyn I. Todd
Orphans Court of Talbot County	Carville D. Duncan
Orphans Court of Baltimore City	Charles Bernstein
8th Judicial Circuit	Christopher L. Panos
Third Circuit Court	Colleen Cavanaugh
Orphans Court of Caroline County	Conway Gregory
Fourth Circuit Court	Dana M. Wright
Fourth Circuit Court	Donald E. Beachley
7th Judicial Circuit	E. Gregory Wells
Orphans Court of Caroline County	Ellery Adams
Fifth Circuit Court	Fred S. Hecker
Orphans Court of Dorchester County	George R. Ames, Jr
8th Judicial Circuit	Jeffrey M. Geller
Third Circuit Court	Julie L. Glass
8th Judicial Circuit	Julie Rubin
Third Circuit Court	Justin James King
7th Judicial Circuit	Lawrence V. Hill, Jr.
Orphans Court of Calvert County	Leslie M. Downs
Orphans Court of Baltimore City	Lewyn Scott Garrett
7th Judicial Circuit	Mark Stephen Chandlee
8th Judicial Circuit	Melissa K. Copeland
8th Judicial Circuit	Melissa Marie Phinn
Orphans Court of Baltimore City	Michele E. Loewenthal
Third Circuit Court	Paul J. Hanley
Orphans Court of Talbot County	Paul S. Carroll
8th Judicial Circuit	Philip Senan Jackson
Orphans Court of Caroline County	Ron Fearins
Fifth Circuit Court	Ronald A. Silkworth
7th Judicial Circuit	Sheila R. Tillerson Adams
Orphans Court of Calvert County	Theodore Philip LeBlanc
Orphans Court of Calvert County	Thomas Michael Pelagatti
7th Judicial Circuit	Toni E. Clarke
Orphans Court of Prince George's County	Vicky L. Ivory-Orem
Orphans Court of Prince George's County	Wendy A. Cartwright
Orphans Court of Talbot County	William J. Howard
Third Circuit Court	Yolanda L. Curtin

Primary

For candidate lists and results from the judicial primary on June 24, 2014, please see: Maryland judicial primary elections, 2014.

Process

Primary election

Circuit and orphans' court judges compete in a partisan primary for the Republican and/or Democratic nomination. Candidates may cross-file with both parties. The candidates who receive the most votes from each primary advance to the general election to compete against each other, as well as any minor party or independent candidates.

Below is an example of the elections process for the circuit courts provided by the Maryland State Board of Elections:

“	In Circuit X, there are two incumbent judges who must stand for election. They are candidates A and B, a Democrat and Republican respectively. They both file Certificates of Candidacy to appear on both the Democratic and Republican Primary ballots. Candidate C, a Democrat and qualified member of the Bar also files a Certificate of Candidacy to appear on both the Democratic and Republican primary ballots. In the primary election, the Democratic Party selects candidates A and C (i.e. those two candidates received the most votes) and the Republican Party selects candidates A and B. In the general election candidates A, B, and C all will appear on the ballot since they each won one or both of the primary elections in which they appeared on the ballot. On the general election ballot, in addition to candidates A, B, and C, candidate D will also appear on the ballot. Candidate D is a member of the Green Party and a qualified member of the Bar and received the Green Party's nomination. The two candidates who receive the most votes will be elected to office.	”
—Maryland State Board of Elections

General election

Appellate judges stand for retention in the general election. Trial court judge candidates who advanced from the partisan primary run in the general election without party affiliation.

Noteworthy events

The following articles were current as of the dates listed.

Montgomery County judge encumbered by past controversy July 10, 2014

Click for story→

See also: JP Election Brief: Kidnapping, runoffs and voter ID Montgomery County Circuit Court judge Audrey A. Creighton survived the June 24, 2014 primary elections, receiving 22 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, but losing the Republican nomination. Her challenger, Daniel Patrick Connell, received a similar percentage of Republican votes, though he lost the Democratic primary. Under Maryland judicial selection procedures, candidates may cross-file as both Republicans and Democrats and thereby secure one party’s nomination if they should fail to secure one from the other party. In this instance, all candidates cross-filed for both parties, resulting in nominal margins of victory in both party’s primaries for all five candidates. With no clear outcome, the five candidates had to again compete against each other in the November 4 general election for four open seats. Connell reportedly aimed to draw attention to Creighton’s kidnapping and assault by her former intimate partner Ricky Joshua Senning, apparently in hopes of criticizing her character and her ability to adjudicate. In 2008, Creighton served as one of Senning’s criminal defense attorneys. After his release from state prison in 2013, Senning moved in with Creighton, who by that time was a judge. Later in 2013, Senning was charged with the possession of a small marijuana cigarette, but missed his initial court date. Senning then submitted a legal motion explaining that he had been given the wrong court date to avoid an arrest for his failure to appear in court. Senning’s case was then placed on Creighton’s docket, but she recused herself, citing a conflict. In May 2014, Senning was charged with the assault and kidnapping of Creighton, resulting in the controversy surrounding her re-election to the court (see: Audrey A. Creighton, "Judge abucted by former friend, lover"). Connell reportedly suggested that Creighton had a hand in drafting Senning’s motion in violation of the Maryland Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits judges from the practice of law. The matter was forwarded to the Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities for review and investigation. Members of the Montgomery County legal community expressed concern over the outcome of the race. Supporters of Judge Creighton stressed her experience and ability as a jurist, while detractors were quick to associate her relationship with Senning as a flaw on her character and judgment. Reported concern also surrounded Connell's election, since, according to news accounts, he would then be able to circumvent a rigorous vetting process used to choose qualified judges (a selection method that Creighton herself had undergone prior to her appointment in February 2014). Ultimately, voters decided in the November 4 general election to re-elect Creighton.

Highlights from the Maryland primary June 26, 2014

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See also: JP Election Brief: Survival of the fittest as more candidates are eliminated The results of Maryland’s primary on June 24, 2014 were tallied, and the ballots were then set for the November 4 general election, including multiple judicial races. However, some election officials warned that, due to what could be a “historically” low turnout, a relatively small number of people could end up choosing the state’s judiciary. Court Auditor Thomas R. Simpson, Jr. beat two sitting judges in Charles County’s Republican primary, which meant that he had to again face judges Jerome Richard Spencer and Hayward James West in November for a seat on the 7th Circuit Court. Scott Rolle, the former state’s attorney, won the Frederick County Republican primary and again ran against sitting Judge Danny Brian O'Connor for a seat on the 6th Circuit Court for Frederick County. In Montgomery County, challenger Daniel Patrick Connell appeared on the November ballot for the 6th Circuit Court after winning the Republican primary, even though sitting judges Gary Eugene Bair, Audrey A. Creighton, Nelson W. Rupp, Jr., and Joan E. Ryon bested Connell in the Democratic primary. Creighton was successful despite questions surrounding an incident in May where she was allegedly assaulted by a former roommate with whom she had a personal relationship. The incident raised questions as to the nature of her relationship with the accused, and whether she had unduly provided him with legal counsel while she was a judge (See: Audrey A. Creighton, "Judge abducted by former friend, lover"). Democratic Judge Jimmy Sarbanes and Republican challenger Melvin Caldwell Jr. each won their party’s primary for a 15-year term on the 1st Circuit Court for Wicomico County, and again faced each other in November. Though the general election was nonpartisan, the primary served as an opportunity for each political party to demonstrate their support for their candidate. Baltimore County judges Justin James King, Colleen Cavanaugh, Julie L. Glass, and Paul J. Hanley successfully fended off a challenge from attorney Kelby Brick. Judge Fred S. Hecker’s defeat of attorney Steven Tiedemann in Carroll County came as little surprise, as Tiedemann had withdrawn from the race and supported Hecker after the deadline to remove his name from the primary ballot. In Cecil County, attorney Kevin Urick failed to unseat Judge Brenda A. Sexton. In Anne Arundel, Calvert, Harford, Prince George's, and Washington counties, sitting judges ran unopposed. Finally, in the City of Baltimore, Page Croyder’s attempt to unseat Judge Alfred Nance failed when she came in eighth, finishing behind all seven sitting circuit court judges.

Maryland to see critical judicial contests in June 24 primary June 19, 2014

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See also: JP Election Brief: Retention tension, a supreme court candidate on trial, and an election decided by coin toss Early voting for the Maryland primary began on June 12, 2014, and voters soon began casting their ballots leading up to the June 24 primary election. With contested judicial elections occurring in seven counties and the City of Baltimore, Republican and Democratic voters throughout the state had an important role in the makeup of their courts in 2014. In Washington County, Republican voters determined which three candidates faced Democrats Linda Davis and Eileen W. Wiggins in the general election for judges of the Orphans Court of Washington County. Cassandra Laverne Costley, Paul Cox, and Joseph W. Eichelberger challenged incumbents Robert Adair, Frank E. Novinger, and current chief judge John M. Shriver. All three seats on the court were up for grabs. In the race for Frederick County circuit court judge, incumbent Danny Brian O'Connor faced former State’s Attorney Scott Rolle. Due to the structure of Maryland judicial elections, the June 24 primary could have served as the end of the race. Because both candidates appeared on both the Democratic and Republican primary ballots, if one of them had won both primaries he would be the only name on the November ballot. If they each had won only one of the party primaries, however, both names would have appeared on the general election ballot. In the race for Queen Anne's County judge of the Orphan’s Court, Republican voters narrowed the primary field of seven Republican candidates down to three for the November general elections. Candidates included business owner Kim Calvert, security firm president Barry Donadio, former Orphan’s Court Judge Penelope Keating, farmer and realtor Richard Smith, physician and professor Eric Wargotz, and incumbent judges Kimberly Jean Cascia and Joseph V. DiPietro. In Baltimore, former city prosecutor Page Croyder ran for a seat on the Maryland Circuit Court. Though she claimed to be targeting Judge Alfred Nance specifically due to his “lack of decorum on the bench” and “poor treatment of women,” Croyder effectively ran against all seven sitting judges, as both Republican and Democratic primary ballots listed all eight candidates alphabetically, and the top seven vote-getters appeared on the general election ballot. Candidates included Croyder and sitting judges Nance, Melissa K. Copeland, Jeffrey M. Geller, Philip Senan Jackson, Christopher L. Panos, Melissa Marie Phinn, and Julie Rubin.

Maryland judicial races overview March 20, 2014

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See also: JP Election Brief: Controversy around judicial election laws The deadline to file to run in Maryland’s 2014 primary elections passed at 9:00 p.m. on February 25. Running to fill three seats on the Queen Anne’s County Orphan’s Court were a total of 10 candidates, two Democrats and eight Republicans. Two seats were held by incumbents — Republicans Kimberly Jean Cascia and Joseph V. DiPietro. The third seat was open. In Washington County incumbent Republican circuit court judges Donald E. Beachley and Dana M. Wright both filed to run. Also filing ahead of the deadline were candidates for the Washington County Orphan’s Court, including the three Republican incumbents, John M. Shriver, Frank E. Novinger, and Robert Adair. They faced six challengers (three Republicans, two Democrats and one unaffiliated candidate). Several other counties held contested judicial elections in 2014. In Carroll County incumbent Fred S. Hecker was challenged by Steven Tiedemann. In Cecil County incumbent Brenda A. Sexton was challenged by Kevin Urick. In Charles County incumbents Jerome Richard Spencer and Hayward James West were challenged by Thomas R. Simpson, Jr. In Frederick County incumbent Danny Brian O'Connor was challenged by Scott Rolle. In Montgomery County incumbents Gary Eugene Bair, Audrey A. Creighton, Nelson W. Rupp, Jr. and Joan E. Ryon were challenged by Daniel Patrick Connell. In Wicomico County, incumbent and appointed judge Jimmy Sarbanes was challenged by Melvin Caldwell Jr. Sitting judges in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Harford, Prince George's and Washington counties ran unopposed.

See also

• Maryland judicial elections
• Judicial selection in Maryland

External links

• Maryland State Board of Elections

Footnotes

Maryland courts

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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