U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Fourth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| William M. Nickerson | Bush (R) | 1990 |
| Deborah K. Chasanow | Clinton (D) | 1993 |
| Richard D. Bennett | Bush (R) | 2003 |
| James Kelleher Bredar | Obama (D) | 2010 |
| Ellen Lipton Hollander | Obama (D) | 2010 |
| George Levi Russell III | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| Theodore David Chuang | Obama (D) | 2014 |
| Paula Xinis | Obama (D) | 2016 |
| Stephanie Agli Gallagher | Trump (R) | 2019 |
| Deborah Lynn Boardman | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Lydia Kay Griggsby | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Julie Rebecca Rubin | Biden (D) | 2022 |
| Brendan Abell Hurson | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Matthew James Maddox | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Adam Ben Abelson | Biden (D) | 2024 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1790.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.