Kratovil, Gregory vie for district court judgeship in Queen Anne’s County

Former U.S. Rep. Frank M. Kratovil Jr. and David W. “Chip” Gregory, who battled each other in a race for Queen Anne’s County state’s attorney in 2002, are once again competing for a job.

Kratovil, who won that election fight, and Gregory have applied for a judgeship on the Queen Anne’s County District Court. They, and three other candidates, will be interviewed by a 13-member trial court judicial nominating commission.

The panel will winnow the list of candidates and submit its nominees to Gov. Martin O’Malley on Dec. 6.

If he keeps to his past practice, O’Malley will appoint the next judge from that list.

“There are a number of people applying,” Kratovil said Thursday. “I have no desire to view this as a rematch of any kind.”

Gregory did not return telephone messages left at his law office, Downes & Gregory in Centreville.

Gregory, a Democrat, was the four-term incumbent state’s attorney when Kratovil defeated him in the party’s primary in 2002. After the defeat, Gregory when into private practice.

Kratovil won the general election and served six years as state’s attorney. He left for Capitol Hill after defeating Republican Andy Harris in 2008 for an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Harris gained a measure of revenge last November by beating Kratovil in his re-election bid to represent Maryland’s 1st Congressional District. Since leaving Congress in January, Kratovil has served as an assistant deputy state’s attorney in Prince George’s County.

In addition to Kratovil and Gregory, the candidates for the district court judgeship are Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney Lance G. Richardson and attorneys Patrick J. Palmer and Sandra Lynn Reno.