JJJJJustice Mattersustice Mattersustice Mattersustice Mattersustice Mattersa publication from the Maryland Judiciary

vol. 12, issue 3 Winter 2008-09

continued on p. 15

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He carries a badge and he loves going to work. His job at the Office of State’s Attorney forCarroll County is to help victims and witnesses as they go through the justice system andprepare for court. Although he’s not yet two years old, he’s training for an advanced certificate.And his salary is the canine equivalent of chicken feed.

Buddy, a 16-month-old mixed breed dog, isone of the newest members of the VictimWitness Assistance Unit in the state’sattorney’s office. As part of his daily duties,Buddy helps juvenile victims of abuse byproviding comfort and a way to communicatein a non-threatening way.

“When the victim of a sensitive,emotionally charged case—like child abuse,sexual assault, homicide, or manslaughter—meets with the prosecutor to prepare for trial,a therapy dog can help ease their stress byproviding unconditional love and emotionalcomfort,” said Carroll County State’s AttorneyJerry F. Barnes.

Although the work is sensitive, Buddyapparently enjoys it. “He likes coming towork more than I do,” joked his owner JoyceSchaum, director of the Victim WitnessAssistance Unit. “When I’m driving to work, he gets excited about two blocks away.” Buddygreets people, then gets to work, which might mean being a confidante during an investigationwith a young rape victim, helping calm a family of a victim who are unhappy with a ruling, orbeing a friend to children who are getting ready to go to court or preparing a victim impactstatement. Some of the appointments are scheduled; others are with people who show up at theoffice without notice to report a crime. “I ask people, ‘Do you like dogs?’ and we go fromthere,” Schaum said.

Start with a puppySchaum had thought about using a therapy dog for years and collected information about the

subject, especially about King County in Washington State that pioneered the use of therapydogs. After getting Barnes’ approval about a year and a half ago, Schaum worked with the localhumane society to find a dog with a gentle, calm and friendly personality. Buddy was eightweeks old when Schaum adopted him. The county pays Buddy’s vet bills and therapy dog

Animals Helping Maryland’s Justice System

These dogs hope to have their day in court

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Joyce Schaum and Buddy at theCarroll County courthouse

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On Monday, Sept. 8, when the Court of Appeals heard arguments for case No. 1, Christopher Hutchinsonv. State of Maryland, history was made—because four of the seven judges were women. “For the first timein Maryland’s history, we have the majority of women seated here today on this court, a majority of thecourt,” said Judge Lynne A. Battaglia as she, retired Judge Irma S. Raker, Judge Sally D. Adkins, and JudgeMary Ellen Barbera joined Judge Glenn T. Harrell, Jr., Judge Clayton Greene, Jr., and retired Judge John C.Eldridge for the case.

To see the webcast, go to case No. 1 at mdcourts.gov/coappeals/webcastarchive.html#september2008.

Milestone Marked on Court of Appeals

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Have you ever wondered whether you can accept tickets to a sporting event or the theater from anattorney? Are you losing sleep worrying whether your clerk’s zealous sales pitch to co-workers for theGirl Scout cookie drive (she is the leading salesperson in the greater metropolitan area) can run youamuck when scrutinized under the hot light of the Judicial Disability Commission? Does Judge Smiththink it is okay, yet Judge Jones is not so sure? If these or a myriad of other questions are taking upprecious space on your docket, the answer you have been looking for may be the Judicial EthicsCommittee.

The Judicial Ethics Committee—we go by JEC for short—is tasked with the responsibility of givingadvice and opinions with respect to the application or interpretation of the Maryland Code of JudicialEthics and the Maryland Code of Conduct for Judicial Appointees. The JEC is a nine member panelappointed by Chief Judge Bell and consists of members from the Court of Special Appeals, the CircuitCourt, District Court, Orphans’ Court, a Clerk of a Circuit Court, a judicial appointee and a person thathas absolutely nothing to do with the law or legal profession. To add additional perspective to ourcommittee, we are hopeful that a retired judge may soon join our ranks.

Any judge or judicial appointee may seek an opinion from the committee by simply filling out arequest. The form for requesting an opinion is online at mdcourts.gov/ethics/request-opinion.html. Inaddition to the form for requesting opinions, the Web page contains the canons, all published ethicsopinions issued by the JEC and, for the truly diehard, the Orders Adopting the Ethics Rules. TheCommittee is presently working on an index for the reported ethics opinions, which will be added onlineonce it is complete.

Once the committee has met and reviewed the request for an opinion, one of three opinions may berendered: a published opinion, an unpublished opinion, or a letter of advice. All requestsare confidential, and all efforts are made to conceal the identity of therequestor when the opinion is published. The benefit of the opinion orletter of advice is that so long as the requestor is in compliance withthe opinion, he or she is protected from a charge of violation of thatethics provision. Best of all, we are free.

So, if there are nagging questions that you want answered or if youare just not so sure about an ethics issue, please feel free to send arequest for an opinion to the Judicial Ethics Committee. Remember, weare concerned about your concerns.

Judge Morrissey is a District Judge for Prince George’s County.

For judges:

Ethics questions answered here

By Hon. John P. Morrissey

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With those words on March 4, 1942, Circuit JudgeFrederick Lee Cobourn prefaced a collection of biographiesof prominent Harford Countians whose portraits are hung inthe ceremonial courtroom and the halls of the HarfordCounty courthouse. The original courthouse was built in1791 and rebuilt in 1853 after a fire. The building wasexpanded in 1904 and 1984. The original ceremonialcourtroom has been carefully preserved and is still indaily use.

On all four walls of the ceremonial courtroom and thesurrounding hallways are paintings of prominent residents ofHarford County.

No one is really certain just when thecustom of hanging such portraits began.At least prior to March 4, 1942, there didnot seem to be any fixed rule or practiceconcerning portraits. On that day, JudgeCobourn issued a “local rule” thatprovided that no portrait could be hung inthe courthouse if the subject was stillliving and no portrait could exceed 12square feet. The rule also provided thatJudge Cobourn had to approve thepainting and the frame. Of course,Harford County had only one CircuitCourt judge—in other words, you had tobe dead to be hung!

That rule remains in effect. Asadditional portraits were acquired over theyears, the 1942 biographies were updatedunder the direction of Judge Harry E.Dyer in 1974 and Judge Maurice W.Baldwin in 1997. There are 67 paintings inthe collection.

Many of the individuals portrayed arewell known outside of Harford County.

Edwin Booth (1833-1893) was one ofthe most renowned actors of his time andwas especially known for his acting inShakespeare’s plays. He performed allover the United States and Europe. Hewas also the brother of John WilkesBooth who shot President Abraham

Lincoln. His father, Junius Brutus Booth, was also a well-known actor. The Booth family home is located just outsideBel Air and has been preserved by Harford County.

William Paca (1740-1799) was a signer of theDeclaration of Independence, third governor of Maryland, amember of the original state senate, chief judge of theMaryland General Court, a delegate to the ConstitutionalConvention, and Maryland’s first federal district judge. Hewas also one of the founders of Washington College inChestertown.

Millard E. Tydings (1890-1961) was a decorated hero ofWorld War I. He became, in order, speakerof the House of Delegates, president of theState Senate, member of the House ofRepresentatives, and finally United Statessenator, where he served with distinctionrepresenting Maryland for 24 years.

Colonel Otho Scott (1797-1864) Scottserved in the State Senate for many yearsand was the original lawyer for thePhiladelphia, Wilmington and BaltimoreRailroad. He is most often known as one ofthe two original compilers of the Code ofMaryland laws, which were adopted by theMaryland Legislature in 1860.

One of the most renowned militaryfamilies in the United States is the Rogersfamily, several of whose members servedwith distinction in the U.S. Navy. Severalmembers of the family are representedamong the portraits. They includeCommodore John Rogers (1771-1838),first lieutenant of the frigate Constellationand captain of the sloop Maryland;Commander John Rogers (1881-1926), afounder of naval aviation and chief of theBureau of Naval Aeronautics; and ColonelRobert Rogers (1809-1891), son-in-law ofCommander Matthew Perry and brother-in-law of Oliver Hazard Perry.

One of Harford County’s oldest andmost eminent families is the Archer family.Paintings of seven members of the Archer

Courthouse Treasures: Harford County

“Those Whose Portraits Adorn The Walls”By Hon. Emory A. Plitt, Jr.

William Paca

Edwin Booth

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family are in the collection, from John Archer, M.D. (1741-1810) to MajorRobert Archer (1882-1948). All seven members of the Archer familyportrayed were involved in medicine, law, politics (elective office) and/ormilitary service.

Other prominent Harford Countians in the collection include Dr. EarleHawkins (former longtime president of Towson University), Mary Risteau(the first woman elected to the Maryland Legislature); C. Stanley Blair(Maryland Secretary of State and federal district judge); Major GeneralMilton Reckord (Adjutant General of Maryland); Thomas Robinson(Attorney General of Maryland) and John Finney, M.D. (World War I hero,founding surgeon of Johns Hopkins Hospital, founding member of theAmerican College of Surgeons).

The collection also includes some paintings of the courthouse and theceremonial courtroom, including a recent painting of the courthouse donatedby noted artist Caroline Jasper.

The collection also includes paintings of almost all deceased former judgesof the Circuit Court, which have been donated by their families.

The paintings are a virtual pictorial history of Harford County from 1711 tothe present. Short biographies of each individual portrayed are collected in alocally produced publication prepared by Judge Maurice Baldwin, “ThoseWhose Portraits Adorn the Walls.”

Judge Plitt is a Circuit Judge for Harford County.Commander John Rogers

John Archer, M.D.

Mary Risteau

Dr. Earle Hawkins Millard E. Tydings

The paintings are avirtual pictorial historyof Harford County from1711 to the present.

Judge Plitt

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On Tuesday, Sept. 9, the Maryland Judiciary celebrated theunveiling of the portrait of Judge Irma S. Raker, who retiredfrom the Court of Appeals in April. Judge Raker wasappointed to the state’s highest court in 1994 and was thesecond woman to serve on the Court. For the last 4½ yearsbefore her retirement, she was the senior judge on the Courtof Appeals.

During the unveiling ceremony, Chief Judge RobertM. Bell praised Judge Raker as “a very gracious andvaluable colleague.”

He told her colleagues,family, and friends whocrowded the courtroom,“Judge Raker brought realenthusiasm to her work. Shehas proven to be what shestarted as, an asset to thecourt, an assiduous worker andan effective, scholarly, andarticulate opinion writer.”

Judge Raker graduated fromSyracuse University in 1959,and deferred her law career toraise three children with herhusband Samuel Raker. Shegraduated from the WashingtonCollege of Law of theAmerican University and wasadmitted to the bar of Maryland in 1972. In 1973, she joinedthe Office of the State’s Attorney for Montgomery County asthe county’s first woman prosecutor. She prosecuted majorcriminal cases and was a leading advocate in Maryland torevise the sexual offense laws, modernize jury instructions inrape cases, and champion the rights of victims of domesticviolence and child abuse.

Judge Raker was a partner in the law firm of Sachs,Greenebaum and Tayler when she was appointed in 1980 toserve as a judge on the District Court of Maryland. In 1982,she was appointed, and then elected, to serve as an associatejudge on the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. In 1994,she was appointed to serve on the Court of Appeals.

From 1994 until 2008, she served as chairperson of theJudicial Compensation Committee of the Maryland JudicialConference. She served two terms as chairperson of theAmerican Bar Association’s Criminal Justice StandardsCommittee and was elected to the ABA Criminal Law Section

In 1980, she was appointed by the Maryland State BarAssociation to chair the newly created Committee to Draft

Pattern Jury Instructions, and continues to serve in thatcapacity. Under her leadership, the jury instructions are nowrecognized as model instructions in the nation and usedregularly throughout the state.

Judge Raker has received many awards, including theWomen’s Law Center Annual Dorothy Beatty MemorialAward for Significant Contribution to Women’s Rights, theWomen’s Bar Association Rita C. Davidson Award, theMaryland State Bar Association Robert C. Heeney Award, the

Daily Record Maryland Top100 Women and the Circle ofExcellence Award. In 2007,she was the recipient of theABA Margaret Brent Award,one of the association’shighest awards, bestowedupon women who haveachieved professionalexcellence in law and haveinfluenced other women topursue legal careers.

After Judge Bell recalledmany of Judge Raker’saccomplishments andhighlights of her professionalcareer, he reminded theaudience that, while she has‘retired,’ Judge Raker will

return to the court as a recalled judge and chairs the newlyestablished Access to Justice Commission.

During her comments, Judge Raker thanked her husband,who commissioned the portrait “and encouraged me to dothis, not just for me or for him, but because when you thinkabout this court, it is really not about anyone of usindividually but really as an institution.”

The portrait was painted by nationally renowned artistLoryn Brazier. Judge Raker told the audience that one of hergranddaughters, when she saw the portrait in progress,recommended that “more lines” be added. Judge Rakerrelayed that request to Brazier, but her final portrait, JudgeRaker joked, is “how I looked in high school.”

Judge Raker’s portrait hangs in the atrium on the thirdfloor of the Courts of Appeal Building in Annapolis. Thearchived webcast of the unveiling ceremony and a programthat includes a biography of Judge Raker are on theJudiciary’s Web site.

(Judge Raker’s biographical information was provided bythe Maryland Commission on Artistic Property of theMaryland State Archives.)

Judge Raker’s portrait unveiled

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Judge Raker and artist Loryn Brazier unveil the portrait.

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The Fourth Judicial Circuit (Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties) hasbeen ‘home court’ for almost four decades for Judge Frederick C. Wright, III.When he retired this summer, Judge Wright had sat on the bench for more than37 years, one of the longest terms in Maryland history, and perhaps the longestin modern memory.

Additionally, Judge Wright had been the circuit administrative judge for thepast 23 years, since 1985, and as county administrative judge in WashingtonCounty. Before being appointed as judge, he was a member of the MarylandHouse of Delegates from 1966-71 and was speaker pro tem in 1971. Hereceived his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1963.

Reprinted here is the editorial from the Nov. 5 Herald-Mail about JudgeWright’s retirement.

In The Long Term

Judge Frederick C. Wright, III

In The Long Term recognizes and profiles long-

term employees and members of the

Judiciary, and highlights their contributions to

the Maryland courts. Please contact us with

suggestions to include in future issues:

justicematters@mdcourts.gov.

Quick, name the best umpire inbaseball.

This is something of a trickquestion, since, in the purest sense, itis an umpire’s job not to make aname for himself. We remember theones who botch a call at first base orbutcher the strike zone. But theumpires who demonstrate steady, day-to-day competence blend unnoticedinto the background and almostbecome part of the field itself.

In a sense, Washington CountyCircuit Judge Frederick C. Wright III islike that umpire. For 37 years, Wrighthas been the county’s steady hand,interested not in the spotlight, but indispensing plain and simple justice forour people.

Other Tri-State area judges havegotten more headlines—in one instancefor waving a pistol at a helicopter—and other judges have been flashier,happy to use their offices as alightning rod for public opinion.

Wright, who is retiring and will stepdown from office once his replacementis named, never bought into the ideaof a judge as a celebrity. Instead, he

paid the utmost attention and care tothe people who came before his bench,be it an accused criminal, victim or thechildren of divorcing parents.

Wright turned down tempting offersof a seat on Maryland’s appeals courts,preferring to work directly with thepeople who found themselves in thecourt system.

This may have been his loss, but itwas our gain. In and out of thecourthouse, Wright has been a steadyhand, which has been a comfort intimes when other county leadershipcould best be described as shaky. WithWright, we knew—at some level—thatan adult was always in charge.

A miser at dispensing his politicalcapital, his words were taken seriouslywhen he did choose to speak out. Atthe swearing-in ceremony of aparticularly litigious group of CountyCommissioners in 2002, Wright tookthe opportunity to mildly dress-downthe group for setting a bad communityexample by clogging the courts withmatters that could be settled bycompromise. That was pretty much itfor county lawsuits against City Hall.

Shunning spotlight, Judge Wright dispensed justice well for 37 yearsBut most of his success played out

behind the scenes, in all-but-emptycourtrooms and on the administrativeside where he efficiently kept thedocket humming along.

Much of what is wrong in politicstoday stems from public servants whostress the public over the servant. It’sall about their own star power, howhigh they might rise in the system andhow many times they can get theirphoto before the press.

Wright is the consummate servant.He stunted his own career for thesake of the people, because it was thepeople to whom Wright believed hehad a duty to serve.

For nearly four decades, he hasdone this quietly, but marvelously. Forthis, we owe him our gratitude andwish him an interesting and activeretirement.

____________© The Herald-Mail ONLINE. This editorial,

originally published on Nov. 5, 2008, isreprinted with permission of theHagerstown Herald-Mail.

Judge Frederick C. Wright, III

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They were the ‘originals’By Hon. William Adkins

When the District Court of Maryland startedoperations on July 1, 1971, its 73 judges were pioneerswho frequently presided over court cases without thebenefit of courtrooms.

The District Court began as a hodgepodge of widelyvarying locations, from existing court sites to hastilyconverted facilities. In some places, the old Magistrate’sor People’s Courts were used, in others, a DistrictCourtroom was set up in theexisting Circuit Court buildings. Butthe fledgling District Court judgesalso heard cases in police stations,basements, warehouses, schools,and storefronts.

It is hard to imagine how theCourt could function in such avariety of facilities when comparedto the modern, secure, andtechnologically based facilities wehave today. The job of helping tobring form and function to the earlydays of the District Court fell onthe shoulders of the original 73.

All were lawyers. They camefrom a variety of backgrounds.Some came to the District Courtfrom private practice, some camefrom the public sector, i.e. state’sattorney or public defender’s office,and some had served as either part-time or full-time judges of the various Magistrate’s orPeople’s Courts that were the predecessors of theDistrict Court.

All began their District Court service in the spring of1971 at the very first District Court EducationalConference, held outside Annapolis at Manresa on theSevern River. Chief Judge Robert F. Sweeney created theeducational meetings held during the three months leadingup to July 1. The new District Court judges met withexperienced judges and learned procedure and the variousaspects of District Court law. “Most of us had neverbeen judges before,” recalled Judge Miller Bowen, whowas appointed to the bench in District 12. “My only timein court had been as an attorney with a case.”

He said that serving in a smaller District (Allegany andGarrett counties) was an advantage while learning thejob. “We weren’t as busy as other places like BaltimoreCity. We went kind of slow in the beginning. We had noproblem holding cases overnight to consider issues.”

Like so many of the original District Courtjudges, Judge Bowen had a good practice andenjoyed a healthy salary when he came to theJudiciary. In fact, he recalled that his salary was cutalmost in half when he put on a robe. He was awarethat “there was a certain amount of prestige thatgoes along with the position,” but more important,“I thought the District Court was better for the

community, a system of law. Iwas very pleased with the job Ihad to do.”

More than 37 years later, 18of the original 73 are still aliveand active [see the list of theoriginal judges on p. 10]. Withthe exception of District 4, theyrepresent all 12 districtsstatewide. Several still sit asrecalled retired judges. At leastone, Judge Edgar Silver, isengaged in the private practiceof law. Many are active in otherways. Judge Ned Thomas is asculptor and one of his works, abronze bust of Chief JudgeSweeney, is located in theAnnapolis District Court building.Judge Aaron Baer, father ofDistrict Court Judge BarbaraWaxman, is raising and ridinghorses. Judge Lloyd Simpkins is

an ardent fan of Orioles baseball and University ofMaryland basketball. Judge Bowen divides his timebetween Maryland and Florida.

All of the retired original judges express theirpride in being part of the establishment of theDistrict Court and the huge impact that the Courthas had on Maryland’s court system. In particular,they feel that the replacement of variousMagistrate’s and People’s Courts with the DistrictCourt in 1971 has resulted in an extremely positiveimpact on the delivery of justice to the citizens ofMaryland. They are all justifiably proud of their rolein this important and historic change. Judge Adkins isa District Judge in Talbot County.

Judge Sweeney, c. 1971

For a retrospective of the District Court’s

first 30 years, go to mdcourts.gov/district/

archive/retrospective.pdf.

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District Court of Maryland Scrapbook: newspaper clippingsc. 1971 reflect the early struggles to find workable facilities

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Judges of the District Court of Maryland – July 1, 1971Hon. Robert F. Sweeney, Chief Judge

District 1 – Baltimore CityHon. John R. Hargrove, administrative judgeHon. Howard L. AaronHon. Mary ArabianHon. Carl W. BacharachHon. Aaron A. BaerHon. Solomon BaylorHon. Joseph L. Broccolino, Jr.Hon. A. Jerome DienerHon. Joseph G. FinnertyHon. Robert J. GerstungHon. William M. HudnetHon. I. Sewell LambinHon. Harold LewisHon. John A. McGuireHon. E. Paul Mason, Jr.Hon. Vern J. Munger, Jr.Hon. William H. Murphy, Sr.Hon. Jerome RobinsonHon. Henry L. RogersHon. Edgar P. SilverHon. Henry W. Stichel, Jr.Hon. William T. Tippett, Jr.

District 2 – Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester CountiesHon. Charles E. Edmondson, administrative judgeHon. Robert W. DallasHon. Lloyd L. SimpkinsHon. Edward O. Thomas

District 3 – Caroline, Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Kent, and Cecil CountiesHon. Clayton C. Carter, administrative judgeHon. Walter E. Buck, Jr.Hon. William D. GouldHon. John C. North, II

District 4 – Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s CountiesHon. George W. Bowling, administrative judgeHon. David A. HarknessHon. William O. E. Sterling

District 5 – Prince George’s CountyHon. James M. Rea, administrative judgeHon. J. Franklyn BourneHon. Thomas R. BrooksHon. Howard S. Chasanow

Hon. James F. Couch, Jr.Hon. Edgar L. SmithHon. Richard V. WaldronHon. Robert J. Woods

District 6 – Montgomery CountyHon. Phillip M. Fairbanks, administrative judgeHon. William M. CaveHon. Richard B. LathamHon. Douglas H. Moore, Jr.Hon. Calvin R. SandersHon. J. Hodge SmithHon. John C. Tracey

District 7 – Anne Arundel CountyHon. Thomas J. Curley, administrative judgeHon. Robert S. HeiseHon. Vernon L. NeilsonHon. George M. TaylorHon. Bruce C. Williams

District 8 – Baltimore CountyHon. J. William Hinkel, administrative judgeHon. William R. BuchananHon. Allen E. BuzzellHon. Edward D. HardestyHon. Cullen H. HormesHon. James KardashHon. Marvin J. LandHon. Werner G. SchoelerHon. Fred E. Waldrop

District 9 – Harford CountyHon. Charles J. Kelly, administrative judgeHon. Harry St. A. O’Neill

District 10 – Carroll and Howard CountiesHon. J. Thomas Nissel, administrative judgeHon. Donald M. Smith

District 11 – Frederick and Washington CountiesHon. Frederick C. Wright, IIIHon. Stanley Y. BennettHon. J. Louis BoublitzHon. Byron W. Thompson

District 12 – Allegany and Garrett CountiesHon. Lewis R. Jones, administrative judgeHon. Miller BowenHon. Milton Gerson

Italics - deceased

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Editorial BoardJudge William H. Adkins, III

Chairman, Talbot County District Court

Judge Vicki Ballou-WattsBaltimore County Circuit Court

Judge Jean Szekeres BaronPrince George’s County District Court

Judge Melissa Pollitt BrightWicomico County Orphans’ Court

Ken BrownDistrict Court Headquarters

Judge William O. CarrHarford County Circuit Court

Sandra Dalton, ClerkFrederick County Circuit Court

Valerie Dawson, Court ReporterWicomico County Circuit Court

Judge James R. EylerCourt of Special Appeals

Judge Marcella A. HollandBaltimore City Circuit Court

Catherine McGuireMaryland State Law Library

Judge John P. MorrisseyPrince George’s County District Court

Judge Stephen I. PlattPrince George’s County Circuit Court, Retired

Judge Emory A. Plitt, Jr.Harford County Circuit Court

Angelita Plemmer, DirectorCourt Information Office

Judge Russell SadlerHoward County District Court, Retired

Judge Dennis M. SweeneyHoward County Circuit Court, Retired

staffMary Brighthaupt, designerDarrell S. Pressley, editorMolly Kalifut, assistant editor, writerDan Clark, photographerJason Clark, photographer

Justice Matters is published quarterly.We welcome your comments. Contactus at: Court Information Office361 Rowe Blvd. Annapolis, MD 21401(410) 260-1488justicematters@mdcourts.gov

CongratulationsRetired Baltimore County Circuit Judge Frank Cicone was

honored by the St. Thomas More Society of Maryland in October,which gave him its annual Man for All Seasons Award.

Clerk of the Court of the Appeals Bessie Decker received theDistinguished Alumni Award in October from Kaplan College.

John B. Wilkerson, Jr., was honored by the Circuit Court ofAnne Arundel County for more than 50 years of service with theClerk of the Court’s office. During a surprise celebration on Oct.7, Wilkerson was thanked and congratulated by Clerk of theCircuit Court Robert P. Duckworth and received citations fromChief Judge Robert M. Bell of the Maryland Court of Appeals andGov. Martin O’Malley.

Send submissions to justicematters@mdcourts.gov

BenchmarksAppointments

Hon. Sharon V. Burrell was appointed to theMontgomery County Circuit Court, filling the vacancy createdby the retirement of Hon. Ann Newman Sundt.

Hon. Leonard J. Eiswert was appointed to the GarrettCounty District Court, filling a vacancy created by the deathof Hon. Ralph M. Burnett.

Hon. Steven G. Salant was appointed to the MontgomeryCounty Circuit Court, filling the vacancy created by theretirement of Hon. DeLawrence Beard.

RetirementsHon. Carol E. Smith, Baltimore City Circuit Court.Hon. Frederick C. Wright, III, Washington County

Circuit Court.

In MemoriamHon. Edward A. DeWaters, Jr., Baltimore County District

Court, 1972-1975; Baltimore County Circuit Court, 1975-2001(county administrative judge 1982-1990, 1997-2001, circuitadministrative judge for Third Judicial Circuit, 1990-2001).

Hon. Robert N. Lucke, Sr., Anne Arundel County DistrictCourt, 1977-1991.

Hon. Howard L. Muhl, Jr., trial magistrate, Catonsville,1963-1967.

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Student Winners

Grades K - 51st Place (Tie)- Victoria Scherini, 5th grade, St. Mary’s Elementary

School, AnnapolisAND 1st Place - Jordan Cerna, 1st grade, Meadow Hall Elementary

School, Rockville2nd Place - Darrah Speis, 5th grade, home-schooled, Cumberland3rd Place - Catherine Kinman, 4th grade, Potomac Heights

Elementary School, Hagerstown

Grades 6-81st Place (Tie) - Amia Kitzmiller, 8th grade, BaltimoreAND 1st Place (Tie) - Atticus Speis, 7th grade, home-schooled,

Cumberland

State’s young artists honored during MACRO’s

2nd Place - Naomi Myers, 6th grade, Piccowaxen Middle School,Newberg

3rd Place - Patrick Wathen, 7th grade, Piccowaxen Middle School,Newberg

Honorary Mention

Grades K-5Kassandra Burch, 4th grade, Hampden Elementary, BaltimoreLinsay Burch, 4th grade, Hampden Elementary, BaltimoreBriana Darnaby, 5th grade, Robert Goddard French Immersion

School, SeabrookMonelle Ehahoun, 5th grade, Robert Goddard French Immersion

School, SeabrookMorgan Fedd, 3rd grade, Hampden Elementary, Baltimore

Samantha Frazier, 5th grade, Robert GoddardFrench Immersion School, SeabrookLexie Gifford, 5th grade, Robert Goddard FrenchImmersion School, SeabrookKimberly Griffith, 4th grade, HampdenElementary, BaltimoreDeirdre Harder, 5th grade, Robert GoddardFrench Immersion School, SeabrookLefton Hartman, 3rd grade, Hampden Elementary,BaltimoreGabby Kessel, Meadow Hall Elementary,Rockville

Several elementary and middle school artists came to the Courts of Appeal Building in October to meet and receive praise andprizes from Chief Judge Robert M. Bell. The students were winners in the third Conflict Resolution Day student bookmark artcontest. The contest, held by the Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office, drew more than 260 entries from students inkindergarten through eighth grade statewide.

The art was displayed at the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in Annapolis through mid-November. Prizes,ranging from $25 to $75, were awarded to first, second, and third place in two categories: kindergarten-fifth grade, and sixth-eighth grade. In addition, the four first place winners will be printed as bookmarks for use in promoting conflict resolutionacross Maryland.

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Jisu Kim, 2nd grade, Meadow Hall Elementary, RockvilleMary Kinman, 5th grade, Potomac Heights ElementaryKaycee Miller, 5th grade, Hampden Elementary, BaltimoreLaél Ngangmeni, 5th grade, Robert Goddard French Immersion

School, SeabrookRwura Osei, 5th grade, Robert Goddard French Immersion

School, SeabrookElaina Perry, 5th grade, Robert Goddard French Immersion

School, SeabrookOlivia Ruby, 4th grade, Hampden Elementary, BaltimoreNora Snyder, 5th grade, Robert Goddard French Immersion

School, SeabrookGriffith Speis, 4th grade, home-schooled, CumberlandMadison Steele, 5th grade, Robert Goddard French Immersion

School, SeabrookStephanie Weller, 4th grade, Hampden Elementary, BaltimoreErica Wilson, 5th grade, Meadow Hall Elementary, RockvilleCandice Wise, 5th grade, Hampden Elementary, Baltimore

Grades 6-8Melissa Dodge, 7th Grade, St. Jane

DeChantal, BethesdaLexi Earnshaw, 8th Grade,

Piccowaxen Middle SchoolChacity Lollar, 7th Grade, Piccowaxen

Middle SchoolMary Naecker, 7th Grade, home-

schooled, Silver SpringAustin Ours, 7th Grade, Piccowaxen

Middle SchoolHunter Windsor, 8th Grade,

Piccowaxen Middle School,Newberg

Chief Judge Robert M. Bell and Rachel Wohl, executive directorof MACRO, celebrate with the winners of the Conflict Resolution

Day student art contest. From left: Victoria Scherini, CatherineKinman, Atticus Speis, Darrah Speis, and Jordan Cerna.

Conflict Resolution Day art contest

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Members of the Maryland Judiciary didn’t have far to travel to attend theNational Center for State Courts’ Court Solutions Conference, Sept. 8-10.Baltimore was the host city for this year’s conference, which attractedparticipants from court systems throughout the U.S. and beyond—includingPuerto Rico, Canada, Guam, Trinidad and Tobago, and Nigeria.

As the conference title suggests, this gathering provided both practicalsolutions and opportunities to network with others to find solutions to someof the challenges facing our courts. Professionals from many areas attended,including judges, clerks of court, court administrators, ombudsmen,managing attorneys, commissioners, law librarians, and legal services staff;and several types of judicial systems were represented, including supremecourts, superior courts, district courts, county courts, court of commonpleas, and justice courts, to name a few.

In addition to the informal networking opportunities with other courts, theconference included break-out sessions for individual state courts, both ruraland urban. There were 15 modules, and attendees were challenged tocontinue building on their conference work when they returned to theirhome courts.

All attendees were provided with materials to use as a resource forreengineering their courts, including a CD of resources and DVD of videosegments for leadership.

After a very interactive conference and roundtable discussions, theconference closed with a representative from each break-out session giving abrief wrap-up of what they were most proud of for their court. From therural Circuit Courts of Maryland, we were most proud of: serving our self-represented litigants, our Judiciary Web site, forms and family services. Wewere proud that we have many multi-lingual forms and that we recognize theneed to do more and further our self-help clinics. We were proud that ourcourt provides access to all and not just the privileged few. We were proudthat Maryland courts are more proactive than reactive. Sandra Dalton is theClerk of the Circuit Court for Frederick County.

Court Solutions Conference—Management by Design

By Sandra Dalton

At a Glance:

Conference Highlights

WelcomeRobert Baldwin, executivepresident and general counsel,NCSC, and Chief Judge RobertM. Bell of the Maryland Court ofAppeals.

Opening presentation

Business ProcessReengineering, What IsIt and Why Do It?Redesigning businesses toachieve an improvement inperformance. The audience waswalked through the process andsuggested methodology withactivities and objectives toreengineer their own courts.

Breakout sessions

Attendees chose one of 15special-interest sessions.

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training, but Schaum owns him. “He’s mine, but mine withthis program in mind,” Schaum said.

Buddy has gone through basic obedience training and thenext step is a rigorous training course to earn a certificateas a therapy dog. The training is one hurdle that needs to becleared before the court can consider the next possiblestep—allowing Buddy into a courtroom for child abusecases. “There is a lot to be considered, and it will have tobe something that the judge decides on a case-by-casebasis,” Schaum said. Questions include: Where will Buddysit? Should the jury be able to see him? Will he be availableto defense?

Buddy also works with the Carroll County Advocacy andInvestigation Center to help with forensic interviews whennecessary. And he has reached outin other ways, as well. Schaumrecalled working with one truancycase. “The boy was just not goingto school,” Schaum said. “We madea deal that if he started going toschool, Buddy would come visithim and he could introduce him tohis class. He hasn’t skipped since.”Buddy visited the boy and hisschool last month.

Baltimore City’s programThe idea of therapy dogs in

Maryland’s justice system isgrowing in popularity. HarfordCounty is investigating the idea, as is Baltimore City’s Officeof the State’s Attorney. The active planning for Baltimore’sprogram, Operation Canine for Justice, began in February2008, and is being coordinated by the Victim/Witness andCommunity Services office. The office provides a variety ofservices for victims, including crisis intervention,information and referral, help with victim impact statements,and court escort services

State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy and Baltimore CityCircuit Administrative Judge Marcella Holland both supportthe project, which is a couple of years away fromlaunching, Judge Holland said.

This past June, the office hosted a visit from EllenO’Neill-Stephens and Carolyn Webster, the coordinators ofthe justice canine program in King County, Wash., whobrought their therapy dog, Jeter, to conduct a demonstrationfor staff. “We then met with the Circuit Court judges inSeptember to introduce the program and address their

questions and concerns,” said Pam Widgeon, Chief ofVictim/Witness and Community Services.

Operation Canine for Justice’s therapy dog will comefrom the Canine Companions for Independence. CCI is anon-profit organization that provides highly trained servicedogs for individuals with disabilities or agencies who meettheir criteria. It typically takes 1.5-2 years to get a dogfrom CCI.

Operation Canine for Justice currently has no funding.“There’s no charge for the actual canine; however, theindividual who is selected to be the primary caretaker isresponsible for the proper care, feeding, housing, andmedical needs of the canine,” Widgeon said. “In order toreduce the expenses for the caretaker, we will be seeking

private contributions, gifts frombusinesses and civic groups, grantsfrom corporations and foundations,and services donated by local petstores, and veterinarians.”

Baltimore’s program is modeledafter the King County ProsecutorsOffice program. “Their staff has beenphenomenal in helping us tocoordinate this project,” Widgeon said.

The office is working with theBaltimore City Sheriff’s Office, whichhas had a canine program in theClarence Mitchell Courthouse since2006, and now has three trained bombdogs and a narcotics dog on duty.

“The office has a working partnership with Baltimore ChildAbuse Center, which serves more than 900 children and 600families a year.”

The dog’s workweek will be split between the twoagencies. The dog, it is hoped, will work with BCAC’sclients by “providing a calming presence to help numerouspeople begin to overcome their personal horrors of abuse,”Widgeon said. “We think the dog will help us by helpingchildren open up and talk with investigators andprosecutors.” The canine will also help at the ClarenceMitchell Courthouse, providing comfort to victims andboosting the morale of prosecutors and courthouse staffwho deal with the consequences of crime on a daily basis.To see Buddy in action on ABC News, go towww.abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=5244356&page=1.

The Web site for The King County Prosecutors Officecanine program is www.courthousedog.com.

Dogs in court, from p. 1

Haley Breighner, a staff member’s daughter, relaxeswith Buddy in the state’s attorney’s office.

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The graduates:Renay Carrington, Montgomery County Circuit CourtSamuel Colbert, Court Information OfficeKathryn Cook, Calvert County Circuit CourtTerri Corbin, Worcester County District CourtCathy Diehl, Carroll County Circuit CourtChasidy Garvey, Cecil County Circuit CourtPriscilla Gray, Court of Special AppealsCheryl Griffith, Talbot County District CourtRichard Gutridge, Baltimore County Circuit CourtKaren Hoang, AOC ProcurementChristopher Inman, Internal AuditSheila Jones, Calvert County District CourtRobin Justice, Wicomico County Circuit CourtMichelle Kennedy, Baltimore County District CourtColleen Kenny, Montgomery County District CourtRebecca Krajewski-LaMarr, Baltimore County Circuit CourtMari Lee, Frederick County Circuit Court

Graduates honoredThe Court Professional Certificate program celebrated the graduation of the Class of

2008 on Nov. 7. The three-year program includes a variety of classes designed to enableparticipants to perform their jobs better and carry out their responsibilities with the highestproficiency. Chief Judge Robert M. Bell of the Maryland Court of Appeals spoke to the gatheringof 35 graduates and their family and friends, as did Chief Judge Peter Krauser of the Court of SpecialAppeals, Chief Clerk of the District Court Joe Rosenthal, Clerk of the Circuit Court for Anne ArundelCounty Robert Duckworth, and Clerk of the Circuit Court for Calvert County Kathy Smith.

Sheryl Lettau, Queen Anne’s County District CourtPatricia Linton, Montgomery County Circuit CourtGeraldine Martin, Anne Arundel County District CourtJuany Meneses, Montgomery County Circuit CourtJudy Mowbray, Talbot County Circuit CourtKim Owens, Anne Arundel County District CourtLaura Petrillo, AOC Human ResourcesAustin Phaire, Judicial Information SystemsDeborah Plaugher, Court of Special AppealsJennifer Raymond, Dorchester County District CourtPatricia Robinson, Wicomico County District CourtChristine Shoobridge, Baltimore County Circuit CourtDonna Short, Wicomico County Circuit CourtCynthia Sizemore, Carroll County District CourtPaula Smith, Frederick County Circuit CourtConstance Tyler, Somerset County District CourtMisty Waller-Simpkins, Baltimore City District Court

Dan Clark