4 Prince George’s County judges apply for MD Supreme Court seat

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Four Prince George’s County circuit judges have applied to fill the Maryland Supreme Court seat vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Michele D. Hotten last month.

The applicants, who must reside in Maryland’s 4th Appellate Circuit (i.e. Prince George’s County), are Judges Krystal Quinn Alves, Tiffany Hanna Anderson, Peter Kevin Killough and William Antoine Snoddy.

Applications for the high court’s open seat closed on Tuesday.

Alves has served as an associate judge on the Prince George’s County Circuit Court since 2011, and previously as an associate judge on the District Court of Maryland for the 5th District. Prior to her time on the bench, she worked as an assistant state’s attorney and associate county attorney for Prince George’s County.

Alves graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1991 and gained admission to the Maryland Bar the same year. After graduation, Alves worked as a law clerk to Judge William D. Missouri in the Prince George’s County Circuit Court. Before law school, Alves earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Howard University in 1986.

Anderson has served as an associate judge on the Prince George’s County Circuit Court since 2016, and previously served as district administrative judge and associate judge on the District Court of Maryland for the 5th Circuit. Prior to her time on the bench, she worked as an assistant state’s attorney for Prince George’s County.

Anderson graduated from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America in 1997 and gained admission to the Maryland Bar the same year. Before law school, Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California San Diego in 1992.

Killough has served as an associate judge on the Prince George’s County Circuit Court since 2018. Killough previously worked as an assistant attorney general with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General as principal counsel in the people’s insurance counsel division.

Killough graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1989 and gained admission to the New York Bar in 1990 and to the Maryland Bar in 2002. After graduation, Killough worked in private practice and as a senior attorney for Ford Motor Company’s general counsel. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from New York University in 1983.

Snoddy has served as an associate judge on the Prince George’s County Circuit Court since 2016. Prior to his time on the bench, Snoddy worked as deputy county attorney for Prince George’s County, and as an associate county attorney for Prince George’s County and Montgomery County. In 2002, he worked as associate general counsel for the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission.

Snoddy graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1995 and gained admission to the Maryland Bar the same year. Snoddy worked as a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Bureau in Prince George’s County. He earned a bachelor’s in journalism from Howard University in 1987.

The Maryland Constitution requires all judges be registered to vote in Maryland elections at the time of their appointment, reside in Maryland for at least five years and reside in the geographic area where the judicial vacancy exists for at least six months preceding their appointment. All judges must also be at least 30 at the time of their appointment and be a member of the Maryland Bar.

The 17-member appellate judicial nominating commission will meet on July 9 to interview the candidates. Following the in-person interviews, the commission will vote to determine which candidate or candidates are nominated to Gov. Wes Moore, a Maryland Judiciary spokesperson said.

The applicants declined to comment. A spokesperson for the governor’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Editor’s note: This story has been corrected as to Judge Alves’ employment immediately following her graduation from law school.)