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Four judges, lawyer seek Court of Special Appeals seat
Four judges, lawyer seek Court of Special Appeals seat
Listen to this articleANNAPOLIS – Four judges and an attorney have applied for the intermediate Court of Special Appeals seat left vacant in December when Gov. Larry Hogan elevated Michele D. Hotten to the Court of Appeals, Maryland’s top court.
Prince George’s County Circuit Judges Krystal Quinn Alves, Cathy Hollenberg Serrette and Melanie Marva Shaw Geter have submitted their names to the Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission, as have administrative law judge Erika Louise Pierson and attorney Phillip Robert Zuber.
The 17-member commission will interview the five candidates and review their records before winnowing the list and submitting its recommendations to Hogan in late March.
The governor can pick his appointee from the list, as is gubernatorial custom, or select someone else.
- Alves, a 1991 Howard University School of Law graduate, has served on the circuit court since 2011.
- Serrette, a circuit court judge since 2003, graduated from the George Washington University Law Center in 1979.
- Geter, who has served on the court since 2001, graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1981.
- Pierson, an administrative law judge in Washington, D.C., joined the Maryland bar in 2004.
- Zuber, a partner at Sasscer, Clagett & Bucher in Upper Marlboro, joined the Maryland bar in 1978.
Hotten held the 4th Appellate Judicial Circuit seat on the Court of Special Appeals, which covers Prince George’s County. As a result, her successor must also reside in Prince George’s County.
