3 judges, 1 attorney vie for Maryland Court of Appeals seat

Three judges and an attorney are vying for a seat on Maryland’s top court that will become vacant when Judge Joseph M. Getty reaches the state’s mandatory judicial retirement age of 70 on April 14.

The applicants for the coming Courts of Appeals vacancy are Court of Special Appeals Chief Judge Matthew J. Fader; Court of Special Appeals Judges Kathryn Grill Graeff and Andrea M. Leahy; and Steven L. Tiedemann, general counsel at Powell Recovery Center Inc. in Baltimore.

The four applicants met a Wednesday deadline for filing their applications. They will be vetted by the Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission, which will winnow the list and submit recommendations for selection to Gov. Larry Hogan.

Hogan is not bound to nominate the judge from the submitted list, though it is gubernatorial custom. The nominee will be subject to Senate confirmation.

Getty, who serves as chief judge, holds the seat on the seven-member high court reserved for an attorney or judge who resides in any of the following counties: Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard or Washington. His retirement will also give Hogan the opportunity to name the Court of Appeals’ next chief judge.