April Ademiluyi
April Ademiluyi is a former candidate for the Seventh Circuit Court in Maryland.[1] The candidates ran in both the Democratic and Republican primaries on April 26, 2016. Ademiluyi was defeated in both primaries, but after securing the Libertarian Party nomination, was still able to run in the general election.[2] Ademiluyi was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Biography
Ademiluyi was born on April 25, 1981. She received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland College Park and a J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. Her professional experience includes working as an attorney on cases involving foreclosures, real estate litigation, consumer protection class action litigation, bankruptcy, trademarks, copyrights and patents.[3]
Campaign themes
2016
Ademiluyi participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of local judicial candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what non-judicial legal experience qualifies her to be a judge, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | My personal and professional experiences have properly groomed me to serve on the bench. It is the trials and tribulations within my personal life that matured me into a woman who acts with the utmost integrity, courage, and fidelity. Integrity is the most important quality a judge must have because it forces you to always do the right thing. I have learned the importance of resolving disputes with patience and integrity.
My law practice has called upon me to resolve a variety legal issues that plague everyone from low income Maryland residents to international corporations earning substantial profits. Just as judges are required to do, my practice entails: learning law that I have no familiarity with; staying abreast in developments in the law; conducting in depth legal research; legal writing; developing legal expertise; ability to discern facts or weigh conflicting facts; and being patient, fair, and courteous but firm when necessary with clients.[3][4] |
” |
When asked why she was running for this particular court seat, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | The complexity of the legal issues and the strong, positive impact I can have on the lives of the people that come before this Court. It will give me the opportunity to compensate the injured; restore broken trust in the legal system; give second chances; rehabilitate; and lead by example to follow the law even if you don't like the law.[3][4] | ” |
When asked to identify one judge, past or present, who she admires, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor[3][4] | ” |
When asked about her primary concern regarding today's judicial system in her state, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Judicial corruption is a topic that is very important to me and has actually transformed my campaign priorities into first and foremost raising awareness of judicial corruption and then second, advancing my platform. Judicial corruption is any sort of unethical conduct from a Judge, which harms people that come before the courts. Prejudices that influence the outcome of legal proceedings can be on the extreme end of a Judge accepting bribes or favors, or on the lower end of refusing to apply the law because they disagree with the law or have a personal bias against the litigant. Judges must strive for the highest level of integrity in their personal and professional lives. As I mentioned before, my personal life has strengthened my character to live according to the highest standards in both my personal and professional life.
There needs to be reform in the disciplinary process for Judges. There should be more accountability for judicial corruption. Even when a pattern of misconduct does not exist but nonetheless the disciplinary body does recognize an ethical breach, there should be harsher consequences to deter future misconduct. There also needs to be more lay people or non-lawyers involved in the disciplinary process for Judges. Judges need to be more sensitive and courteous to all parties especially on sensitive domestic issues such as a domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse to ensure they respect parties and make impartial decisions. Judges should be randomly monitored to ensure that they are not further victimizing the people that come before them with these sensitive issues. Judges must routinely receive feedback, throughout their tenure, on how well they are performing their duties. In many instances, a prejudice problem may be solved with providing the judge with better training on how to set aside an unconscious bias they may not realize is affecting the outcome of their decisions.[3][4] |
” |
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.[5] Ingrid Turner, incumbent Karen H. Mason, incumbent Dorothy Engel, and incumbent Herman C. Dawson defeated April Ademiluyi in the Maryland 7th Circuit Court general election for Prince George's County.[1]
| Maryland 7th Circuit Court (Prince George's County), General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ingrid Turner |
22.88% | 223,186 |
| Karen H. Mason Incumbent |
22.26% | 217,164 |
| Dorothy Engel Incumbent |
21.48% | 209,522 |
| Herman C. Dawson Incumbent |
19.40% | 189,284 |
| April Ademiluyi | 13.61% | 132,791 |
| Write-in votes | 0.37% | 3,625 |
| Total Votes | 975,572 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election Official Results," accessed January 18, 2016 | ||
| Maryland 7th Circuit Court (Prince George's County), Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Karen H. Mason Incumbent |
20.77% | 89,542 |
| Ingrid Turner |
19.48% | 83,960 |
| Dorothy Engel Incumbent |
19.35% | 83,416 |
| Herman C. Dawson Incumbent |
16.58% | 71,472 |
| April Ademiluyi | 11.94% | 51,485 |
| Erik H. Nyce Incumbent | 11.88% | 51,193 |
| Total Votes | 431,068 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Judge of the Circuit Court," May 31, 2016 | ||
| Maryland 7th Circuit Court (Prince George's County), Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Dorothy Engel Incumbent |
20.26% | 6,535 |
| Karen H. Mason Incumbent |
19.57% | 6,311 |
| Herman C. Dawson Incumbent |
17.43% | 5,621 |
| Erik H. Nyce Incumbent |
17.34% | 5,594 |
| Ingrid Turner | 15.57% | 5,022 |
| April Ademiluyi | 9.83% | 3,170 |
| Total Votes | 32,253 | |
| 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.[6][7]
Circuit judges serve for one year, after which they must run in nonpartisan elections if they wish to continue serving.[8] If re-elected, they serve for 15 years.[6][7]
The chief judge of each circuit court is chosen by seniority.[6]
Qualifications
To join either of these courts, a judge must be:[6]
- 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).
See also
- Courts in Maryland
- Maryland local trial court judicial elections, 2016
- Local trial court judicial elections, 2016
External links
- Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Listing: Judge of the Circuit Court"
- Official campaign website
- April Ademiluyi on Facebook
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Listing: Judge of the Circuit Court," February 4, 2016
- ↑ The Sentinel, "Nyce out of Circuit Court judges’ race," September 7, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Ballotpedia's local judicial candidate survey, 2016, "April Ademiluyi's Responses," February 25, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Election Dates," accessed February 4, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Maryland," archived October 27, 2010
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 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
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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