Former MD Eastern Shore judge, law clerk charged with misconduct in office

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A former district administrative judge for Maryland’s Eastern Shore has been civilly charged with misconduct in office for allegedly allowing his law clerk of a decade to earn a full-time salary while working less than 40 hours per week on an “as-needed” basis.

According to a civil citation and affidavit filed in Anne Arundel County District Court on July 30, former Administrative Judge Gerald Purnell for Maryland’s District Two failed to notify the Maryland Judiciary that he was aware that Bridget Lowrie was not working eight hours per day or 40 hours per week, despite receiving a full-time salary totaling approximately $485,000 during the 10 years she worked as Purnell’s law clerk.

Lowrie has also been civilly charged with misconduct in office for failing to inform the judiciary of her other employment as a full-time assistant professor and later also as an adjunct professor at another college.

Both Purnell and Lowrie have been fined $10,000, to be paid by Sept. 11. Court records show the Anne Arundel County District Court on Tuesday granted state prosecutors’ consent motions to postpone Purnell and Lowrie’s trial, with a joint trial for the two now set for Sept. 15.

William J. Murphy, counsel for Purnell, declined to comment, and William Brennan Jr., counsel for Lowrie, also declined to comment on the case Tuesday.

Spokespersons for the Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor and the Maryland Judiciary also declined to comment.

“The Judiciary cannot comment on personnel matters or pending litigation,” Terri Charles, deputy public information officer for the Maryland Judiciary, said in an email Tuesday.

According to state prosecutors, in January 2015, Purnell offered Lowrie a full-time position as his law clerk while Lowrie was employed full-time as an assistant professor and program director at Chesapeake College.

In December 2020, the Maryland Judiciary implemented a new time-keeping system that required employees to enter their actual time worked and submit it to their supervisor for review. According to prosecutors, from December 2020 through June 2024, Lowrie entered that she worked eight hours per day for a total of 40 hours per week, excluding occasional paid days off.

Although Purnell did not typically review Lowrie’s time sheets, he allowed them to be submitted as showing that she was working full days, even though he was aware Lowrie was not working full time based on their original agreement that Lowrie would be available to work on an “as-needed” basis, prosecutors allege.

In March 2024, the Administrative Office of the Courts’ human resources department implemented a new policy requiring judiciary employees to list information related to other employment. According to prosecutors, Lowrie contacted Purnell to discuss the updated policy, and following their discussion, she decided not to complete the form.

Also during this time, the Maryland Judiciary implemented a new telework policy that prohibited employees from being allowed to telework more than one day per week; Lowrie decided not to sign the teleworking agreement.

In June 2024, senior members of the Maryland Judiciary learned Lowrie had been employed as Purnell’s law clerk for about 10 years and expressed concern that others who worked in District Two “had not seen her and did not know who she was.”

On June 12, 2024, members of the judiciary’s HR department asked Lowrie to provide a written statement regarding her employment with the district court; Lowrie tendered her resignation the next day.

Purnell retired from the bench in August 2024, according to OC Today-Dispatch.

This story has been updated to reflect the new joint trial date.