Primary Election 2024: Meet the candidates running for the Montgomery County Circuit Court (2024)

Editor’s note: Five candidates, including four sitting judges, are vying for four seats on the bench for the Montgomery County Circuit Court. Under state law, judges who are appointed by the governor must stand for election to a 15-year term in the next general election occurring at least one year after nomination to the court. Under the Maryland Constitution, any lawyer over the age of 30 living in the state may challenge the appointed judges, and no vetting is required. MoCo360 is running profiles of the candidates based on questionnaire answers submitted for ourvoters guide.

City/town of residence:Montgomery County

Age:52

Current/previous employers:

• Associate judge, Montgomery County Circuit Court (2022-present)
• Assistant state’s attorney, Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office (2004-2008, 2011-2022)
• Assistant state’s attorney, Homicide Division, Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office (2003-2004)
• Assistant district attorney, District Attorney’s Office for Queens County, NY (1998-2003)

Political experience:None

Website:www.electsittingjudges.com

Email:electjudgemba@gmail.com

Social media links (Facebook, Instagram, X, etc.):facebook.com/electsittingjudgesmontgomerycounty

Why are you running for office?

I wanted to be a judge and I want to keep my job as a judge. It’s really for the same reason I became a lawyer, which is that I love justice and doing what’s right. I think I see it as being a servant. I’m serving other people as a judge, and I also felt this way when I was a lawyer.

You get to speak the truth and justice all the time. Not just speak about it, which a lot of us do when we talk to each other, but you are it. You’re deciding what the truth is here, and what the right thing to happen is, and it’s a very rewarding experience. I find it to be a privilege.

What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office?

I love hearing from different people and coming to a decision as to what is just and right. It’s not always easy, but I feel that my background prepared me well for that. I had to do that every day as a prosecutor because in the cases I handled. Also, I worked with so many kinds of people in the prosecutor’s office. I speak Spanish, so I have so many opportunities to connect with people in their native language who speak Spanish. On top of that, I was in the courtroom all the time and trying many, many murder cases. I’m very comfortable in the courtroom and very comfortable with the rules of evidence.

What’s the most important issue in this election?

I would say the most important issue is having a judge who listens and has impeccable qualifications, like [someone who has] a really good mind in the law, but also a heart and empathy, because it’s not a massive mathematical equation when you’re sitting and hearing a case. It also requires empathy and compassion and being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. I think you need a judge who listens, who is qualified and who has good judgment.

Is there anything else you’d like to comment on about this race?

I want people to see who I really am. And so, to that extent, I’m enjoying meeting all these people that I have to for the election. Politics is not familiar territory for me, but I do like meeting a lot of different people, and I just really want people to see the person that I am that I believe is really competent to do this job but also caring. That’s the message I would want to get out there. I’m a confident and caring person.

Age:52

City/town of residence:Silver Spring

Current/previous employers:

• Associate judge, Montgomery County Circuit Court (2023-present)
• Founder and owner, Jennifer Fairfax, LLC (2008-2023)
• Senior attorney/special counsel, Strickler, Sachitano & Hatfield, P.A. (2002-2007)
• Associate attorney, Pasternak & Fidis, P.C. (1998-2002)
• Law clerk, Frederick County Circuit Court (1997-1998)

Political experience:None

Website:www.electsittingjudgesmcs.com

Email:electjudgejsf@gmail.com

Social media links (Facebook, Instagram, X, etc.):

facebook.com/electsittingjudgesmontgomerycounty

Why are you running for office?

I left my job first and I pursued this opportunity. I’ve been working towards it for quite some time, and I was appointed by Gov. Wes Moore. And so, I knew going into this, that part of the Constitution, and that I would have to run in the next election, and it happened very quickly for me. I was appointed in September and was running for election by November because I was sworn in on Oct. 26. It was very quick from getting appointed, starting the new job and running for election, but I knew that would be part of the process. And so I’m running to keep my position as a circuit court judge.

What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office?

I’ve argued up to the Maryland Court of Appeals, which is now the Supreme Court of Maryland. I’ve litigated cases in D.C. and Virginia. So I certainly know how to read and apply the law, I know the rules of evidence and I know the rules of procedure, which are incredibly important when you’re a judge.

When I did work with legislation, [I gained an] understanding of how something becomes a law and being really clear on the branches of government. Judges don’t make law; that’s not our job. Our job is to interpret and apply the law. The legislature’s job is to write and create the laws.

What’s the most important issue in this election?

The issue is: how does somebody become a judge? What is the process and how is that transparent for voters? The whole process is public information. People can reach out to anybody. So again, I think that’s the issue, is just how does somebody become a judge?

Is there anything else you’d like to comment on about this race?

It’s a different experience to have to go out and meet people and talk to them because I’m not a politician. But I love it. I’ve always been engaged in the community. I’ve always been a volunteer in the community. So, it’s just a little bit of a different angle. You’re explaining that you’re running for office, but I’m embracing it. I’m leaning into it and looking forward to when the elections are over, and we have results.”

City/town of residence:Rockville

Age:49

Current/previous employers:

• Associate judge, Montgomery County Circuit Court (2022-present)
• Owner, Law Offices of Louis M. Leibowitz, LLC (2011-2022)
• Attorney, Stein, Sperling, Bennett, De Jong, Driscoll & Greenfeig, P.C. (2008-2011)
• Assistant public defender, Office of the Public Defender (2002-2008)
• Law clerk, Judge Gerald Fisher (2001-2002)

Political experience:None

Website:www.electsittingjudgesmcs.com

Email:electjudgelml@gmail.com

Social media links (Facebook, Instagram, X, etc.):facebook.com/electsittingjudgesmontgomerycounty

Why are you running for office?

I’m running because of the Constitution. That’s the law, and I’m required to run, and it’s important that we have good judges. We do so many different things. We handle divorces and custody, we handle all the major civil cases, we handle the big criminal cases, almost all the felonies, we do the jury trials, we handle juvenile cases and we do probate.

Even if you aren’t personally before the court ever, it’s almost a certainty that you know somebody who will be or who has been. It’s an important part of our democracy for everyone to be able to have their disputes resolved in a peaceful, fair way, according to the law.

What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office?

We handle a wide variety of cases, like custody, divorce, all different kinds of civil cases and serious criminal cases. I was probably the only lawyer in Montgomery County, and maybe in the state, who can say that I have tried and won in a child custody case, an adverse possession case and a first-degree murder case.

What’s prepared me for this job is being a father and handling over 6,000 cases in my life. People come before me who are in all different situations, and I try to lean on my experience as a parent to understand where people are coming from.

What’s the most important issue in this election?

The most important thing is for Montgomery County to end up with the four most experienced qualified people to be judge. Also, I’m committed to educating folks because most people don’t know anything about the judges, they don’t know who we are, they don’t know the process and they don’t know anything about the court system. And that’s OK; we don’t expect them to.

Is there anything else you’d like to comment on about this race?

It’s very humbling to be so thoroughly supported. Democrats and Republicans, people who don’t agree on much, agree that sitting judges should be elected. It’s humbling and honoring to have their support.

Age:58

City/town of residence:Outside of Rockville

Current/previous employers:

• Associate judge, Montgomery County Circuit Court (2022-present)
• Commercial litigator and appellate attorney, Lerch, Early & Brewer (1997-2022)
• Associate, Miles & Stockbridge (1992-1997)
• Associate and partner, Frank Bernstein Conaway & Goldman (1988-1992)
• Associate, Beckett, Cromwell & Myers (1984-1988)
• Clerk, Judge Theodore Bloom of the Appellate Court of Maryland (1983-1984)

Political experience:None

Website:www.electsittingjudgesmcs.com

Email:electjudgejbm@gmail.com

Social media links (Facebook, Instagram, X, etc.):facebook.com/electsittingjudgesmontgomerycounty

Why are you running for office?

I love the law. I love the intellectual challenge of the law. I liked it as a practicing lawyer. I saw it in many ways as problem-solving for people. And as time went by, I thought I would really like to do this, not so much representing a particular person and not being an advocate for a particular person, which I enjoyed, but I liked the idea of administering justice and having some public service and community service. Community service is a big deal for me.

What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office?

In the last 15 years of my practice, I focused on doing appellate cases. I can handle all sorts of different cases. I did criminal cases, family law cases, and I did land use cases. And doing that sort of appellate work shows that you’re willing to jump into something that you may not have seen before. And you have to be willing to do that. You have to almost relish it. You have to be comfortable going into something where you may not have seen it before. You have to have the confidence, you have to have the desire to jump in.

What’s the most important issue in this election?

I think the issue is what the issue always is in looking at judicial selection, which is integrity, temperament and really legal abilities and legal experience.

You have to have integrity, obviously. You don’t want people to think you’ve already made up your mind or that you’re going to be dishonest.

Temperament is incredibly important. People have to have faith that you’re listening to them, and that you haven’t pre-judged the case.

[As a lawyer], I did a good job representing my clients, but I did it in a way that was collegial and civil. When you see people who have had that experience as a practicing lawyer, that usually translates really well onto the bench.

Is there anything else you’d like to comment on about this race?

I’ve been very heavily involved in the community. I’ve been involved for about 30 years in one capacity or another with Interfaith Works. It’s probably the largest provider of social services in the county. I was the board chair. I was on the board of directors.

I think that what we’re doing [as judges] is community service, and it’s always been something that’s been important to me.

Age:58

City/town of residence:North Potomac

Current/previous employers:

• Attorney, Skolnick Law Firm, (2024-present)
• Principal attorney,Pierre& Associates (1993-present)
• Domestic relations facilitator, Montgomery County Circuit Court (2006-2016)
• Associate attorney, Lazarus & Burt, P.A.(1999-2000)
• Associate attorney, Law Offices of Woodard & Howard, (1992-1993)
• Legal intern, Queens County District Attorney’s Office (1988-1988)

Political experience:

• Maryland Democratic Central Committee member (2009-2010)
• Circuit Court judge candidate (2018, 2020, 2022)
• Vice president, Rockville Mid-County Democratic Breakfast Club

Website:www.pierreforjudge.com

Email:marylinformaryland@gmail.com

Social media links (Facebook, Instagram, X, etc.):

facebook.com/MarylinPierreForJudge

X: @PierreForJudge

Why are you running for office?

When I first began practicing, I naively believed that our justice system was implicitly fair. I want to become a judge to restore the court’s dignity. An arena where both sides are treated fairly and given the time and respect they deserve. I want a courtroom where clients like mine are not afraid to stand up for themselves and their families. I want to show everyone that our justice system is not broken, and that we all win when the system lives up to its ideals.

What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office?

I have been practicing law in Montgomery County for over 32 years. I am licensed to practice law in multiple states, the District of Columbia, several federal district courts, and the United States Supreme Court.

I am a former officer in the Military Police Corps and a former president of the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association. I am a former chair of the Montgomery County Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission and a board member of the Maryland State Board of Occupational Therapy.

I am recognized as a bar leader by the Montgomery County Bar Association and as a pro bono star by the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland.

What’s the most important issue in this election?

The state of Maryland incarcerates a higher percentage of its young Black males than any other state in the country.

My plan to address this problem is to practice restorative justice. Restorative justice focuses on repairing the harm caused by crime and other undesirable behavior to the community. This has been shown to reduce crime and save taxpayers money.

My core belief is that people should be judged by what they do, not by who they are. Whether you receive fair treatment in our courts should not be influenced by your race, whether Black, White or any other social construct that we use to categorize people.

Is there anything else you’d like to comment on about this race?

I take issue with the Governor’s Commission that recommends candidates for judge to our governor. The committee’s job is to give each candidate a fair look, properly evaluating each set of credentials to make the best recommendations possible. My credentials have been trivialized by members of the Governor’s Commission. The potential for abuse in the commission process is why the Maryland legislature gave the voters a say in electing circuit court judges.

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