A state court of last resort / Established 1905

Supreme Court of Maryland

Annapolis · A court of last resort in Maryland.

The Supreme Court of Maryland is the highest court in Maryland. Its justices are chosen by gubernatorial appointment from a nominating commission, followed by retention elections. This page lists every justice to serve on the court, current and former, with when they joined the bench and whom they succeeded.

Justices in history

Currently serving

Merit selection

Selection

10-yr

Term

Current justices

Justice	Since
Glenn T. Harrell Jr.	1999
Lynne A. Battaglia	2001
Clayton Green Jr.	2004
Sally D. Adkins	2008
Mary Ellen Barbera	2008
Robert N. McDonald	2012
Shirley M. Watts	2013

Former justices

Justice	Years
Joseph F. Murphy Jr.	2007–2011
Dale R. Cathell	1998–2007
Alan M. Wilner	1996–2007
Irma S. Raker	1993–2008
Robert M. Bell	1991–2013
Howard S. Chasanow	1990–1999
Robert L. Karwacki	1990–1998
Albert T. Blackwell Jr.	1987–1990
William H. Adkins II	1986–1990
John F. McAuliffe	1985–1993
James F. Couch Jr.	1982–1987
Lawrence F. Rodowsky	1980–2000
Rita C. Davidson	1979–1984
Harry A. Cole	1977–1991
Charles E. Orth Jr.	1976–1980
John C. Eldridge	1974–2003
William J. O'Donnell	1974–1976
Irving A. Levine	1972–1978
Robert C. Murphy	1972–1996
J Dudley Digges	1969–1982
Marvin H. Smith	1968–1986
Frederick J. Singley Jr.	1967–1977
Thomas B. Finan	1966–1972
William J. McWilliams	1965–1974
Wilson K. Barnes Sr.	1964–1974
Reuben Oppenheimer	1964–1967
C Ferdinand Sybert	1961–1965
Charles C. Charles	1960–1969
Charles C. Marbury	1960–1969
William R. Horney	1957–1968
Stedman Prescott	1956–1966
Frederick W. Brune IV	1954–1964
Hall Hammond	1952–1972
Simon E. Sobeloff	1952–1954
Levin C. Bailey	1944–1944
William L. Henderson	1944–1964
Charles Markell	1944–1952
Rowland K. Adams	1943–1944
Carlton Gus Grason	1942–1951
Ridgely P. Melvin	1942–1945
William H. Forsythe	1941–1942
Ogle Marbury	1941–1952
Stephen R. Collins	1940–1957
Edward S. Delaplaine II	1938–1956
Benjamin A. Johnson	1934–1943
Walter C. Mitchell	1934–1941
D Lindley Sloan	1926–1944
Carroll T. Bond	1924–1942
Francis Neal Parke	1924–1941
William Concannon Walsh	1924–1926
T Scott Offutt	1920–1942
Glenn H. Worthington	1907–1909
Nicholas Charles Burke	1905–1920

How a justice reaches this court. Justices of the Supreme Court of Maryland are appointed by the governor to 10-year terms and then face yes-or-no retention elections. Renamed from the Court of Appeals of Maryland in December 2022; the governor appoints with Senate consent, after which justices face an uncontested yes-or-no retention election. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any justice to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project; selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data last verified 2026-06-30. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).