Eleven people – mostly Bel Air lawyers, with a state’s attorney and district court judge sprinkled in – seek appointment by Governor Martin O’Malley to replace retiring Harford County Circuit Court Judge Thomas E. Marshall.
The list of 11 candidates under consideration for nomination and appointment includes:
– Hiram Edward Andrews, III, Bel Air general criminal practice, personal injury lawyer, family law attorney
– Margaret Ada Attanasio, Bel Air family law attorney, former Harford County People’s Counsel
– Melba Elizabeth Bowen, Harford County Assistant State’s Attorney
– Victor Kuras Butanis, Maryland District Court Judge
– Joseph Ignatius Cassilly, Harford County State’s Attorney
– Michael Hugh Andrew Daney, Harford County Associate Zoning Hearing Examiner
– Melissa Lazarich Lambert, Harford County Assistant State’s Attorney
– Harold Scott Lewis, Bel Air attorney
– Kerwin Anthony Miller, Sr., Deputy Cecil County State’s Attorney and chief homicide prosecutor
– Damon Arthur Pace, Bel Air criminal and traffic attorney
– Diane Adkins Tobin, Harford County Assistant State’s Attorney
The Judicial Nominating Commission will meet September 8 to select and nominate to the Governor persons found by the Commission to be legally and most fully professionally qualified to fill a vacancy.
The public is encouraged to participate in the selection process by submitting written and signed comments concerning the qualifications of an applicant to The Judicial Nominating Commission, c/o The Administrative Office of the Courts, Program Services, 2001-D Commerce Park Drive, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. The comments must be received at least one week prior to the commission meeting date.
The Nominating Commission meets to interview all candidates. Thereafter a voting session takes place and the names of nominees are reported to the Governor. This usually occurs the same day or morning after the Commission meets.
David A. Porter says
I’m thinking “No” on Judge Butanis
RetiredCop says
I do not know Attansio, Daney, Miller, Pace, or Tobin. I did in my career have the opportunity to work with the rest of the people on this list. Any of them would be a great judge. They are all fine honest candidates. Mr. Porter, Judge Butanis was a fair Judge. I had many cases before him. Just thinking no really doesn’t give a person a lot to go on.
David A. Porter says
I’m detailing my comments about Judge Butanis to the Judicial Nominating Committee. Your experience may differ since you may have been in law enforcement. My issue with him is the way he treats ordinary citizens in civil cases. Since ordinary citizens are not lawyers or police officers we seem to be at a disadvantage when it comes to pleading our cases before the professionals that practice it. I will tell you I have been advised that I should hire a lawyer for all my civil cases. My experience with lawyers leads me to believe that while I can pay a man to represent me, I cannot seem to pay him to care about the outcome of the case. I had a quote from Billy Wilder that suited this to a tee: Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else’s.
legalreform says
No member of any State’s Attorney Office, nor any State’s Attorney should be considered to be a Judge that serves such a prestigous position as that of a member of the Maryland Judiciary. The qualities that make a man or woman a good prosecutor are the same qualities that would make him or her a bad candidate for a Judge. The behind the doors meetings with the police and lawmakers are the characteristics of a failing justice system that is in bad need of repair. Maryland has without a shadow of a doubt fallen into the madness of corruption in the legal arena. Lets just hope whomever O’Malley appoints will have the understanding and integrity that will allow a defendant to have the rights that are guaranteed to him by both the Maryland Constitution and the Bill of Rights that has been stolen from the citizens of Harford County over the years. God knows, the man these candidates are replacing has not………….
RetiredCop says
Well Legalreform. O’Malley would not know ethics if it jumped up and bite him on the rear end. Judge Dunnighan and Judge Cooper both came from the States Attorneys office and are doing just fine. And those back room meetings you are talking about. I know you might find this odd but we would actually meet with the prosecutors prior to the trail to discuss the cases. I do not recall any back room deals. And by the way, the defense lawyer was present for these back room deals.
Your great Governor has a lot of skeletons in his closet, and is one of the biggest liars I have ever seen. He should not be the person to choose the new judge, he lacks the credentials to do so. HONESTY AND INTEGRITY.
legalreform says
Need I bring up the Anthony Graber debacle. Do you really want a judge that interperets a helmet cam as a wire tap? Besides, those whom you have listed as former members of the State’s Attorney Office are not doing fine and make incredibly bad judgements all the time. People have been convicted in Cooper’s court without any real evidence being brought before her. Judge Butanis is an honorable judge, point being made, he didn’t side with you because you were one of the cops, which is to his credit not his detriment. As for the man, not the judge, that is being replaced, he has been the signer of many illegal warrants over the last decade and has others in the Circuit who back him up. If you are implying that nothing goes on behind closed doors in Harford County then your idea of reality and truth is in serious question. You should probably remain silent as your designation of truth has crossed paths with your politics. I’m no fan of O’Malley either and just hope whomever he picks will actually follow the Constitution and the Rules for Professional Conduct that the former did not.
RetiredCop says
Well Legalreform, I went before Judge Butanis when I had a zoning problem with a junk yard across from my house. Yes I was a police officer, and Judge Butanis ruled in favor of the junk yard owner. So I guess that blows your theory there to. Give me you next reason. Where you one of the people who he ruled against? Give facts if your going to attack a good Judge. Being a Judge is a lot like being a Police Officer……there will always be someone happy about the job you did and someone unhappy about what you did. This does not make you a bad person.
David A. Porter says
You went before him not as a cop but as an average citizen in a civil matter. In that instance, being a cop was no advantage to you in the case you were presenting. But, maybe being an average citizen was a disadvantage.