2002 FINAL STATE
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

MIDDLE RANGE ISSUE

ISSUE: JUDICIAL DIVERSITY

SUMMARY: There are 271 appellate, circuit and district court judges in Maryland. Until the 1970's virtually every appointment to the Maryland judiciary was a white male. During recent decades there have been calls from a wide variety of groups, including the Maryland State Bar Association, to increase the opportunities for women and blacks to become members of the bench.

A statistical summary of Maryland courts by race and gender is as follows: *

 

White

Black
 

Male
91/02

Female
91/02

Male
91/02

Female
91/02
Appellate Courts:
   (20 Judges)

16/11

2/6

2/3

0/0
Circuit Courts: **
   (134 Judges/9 Open)

99/89

9/21

11/15

1/8
District Courts: **
   (107 Judges/2 Open)

67/67

16/21

7/11

1/7
Total: 261 Judges/11 Open

182/167

27/48

20/29

2/15

*As of January 4, 2002 (Source: Admin. Office of the Courts)

**1 Hispanic female

These figures show that the overwhelming number of Maryland judges are white males. As the demographic composition of the Bar changes during the years ahead, there will be greater opportunities for more women and non-whites to become judges.

MSBA 2002 POSITION: Urge the Governor to continue to be sensitive to the appearance of unfairness caused by the low numbers of appointments of women and non-white members of the Maryland Bar to judicial openings.

SAMPLE LEGISLATION: None.



Return to 2002 Final State Legislative Program Table of Contents

Back To Top