SUPREME COURT OF MARYLAND


[photo, Michele D. Hotten, Court of Appeals Judge] MICHELE D. HOTTEN, Justice, Supreme Court of Maryland, 4th Appellate Judicial Circuit (Prince George's County) since December 22, 2015 (prior to Dec. 14, 2022, Supreme Court of Maryland was named Court of Appeals). Judge, Court of Appeals, December 22, 2015 to December 13, 2022.

Judge, Court of Special Appeals, 4th Appellate Judicial Circuit (Prince George's County), August 17, 2010 to December 22, 2015. Member, Judicial Compensation Committee, Maryland Judicial Conference, 2011-15.

Associate Judge, Prince George's County Circuit Court, 7th Judicial Circuit, December 1, 1995 to August 16, 2010. Civil Coordinating Judge, Prince George's County Circuit Court, 2006-10 (deputy family coordinating judge, 1995-96; juvenile coordinating judge, 1997-99; deputy coordinating judge, criminal division, 2004-06). Member, Judicial Ethics Committee, Maryland Judicial Conference, 1996-2006. Member, Council on Jury Use and Management, 1999-2000 (chair, jury pool & summoning process subcommittee, 1999-2000); Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Judicial Process, 2002-04; Court of Appeals Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, 2007-10.


Associate Judge, District Court of Maryland, District 5, Prince George's County, June 17, 1994 to November 30, 1995.

Assistant State's Attorney, Prince George's County, 1985-89. Deputy People's Zoning Counsel, Prince George's County, 1989-94. Hearing Examiner, Board of Education, Prince George's County, 1990-94. Special Counsel, Human Relations Commission, Prince George's County, 1992-93. Member, Character Committee of Court of Appeals for 7th Judicial Circuit, 1992-94; Inquiry Committee, Attorney Grievance Commission, 1992-94. Examiner in Chancery, Prince George's County Circuit Court, 1993-94.

Born in Washington, DC. New College - University of South Florida, B.A. (political science), 1975; Howard University School of Law, J.D., 1979. Paralegal specialist, Police and Firefighters Retirement and Relief Board, District of Columbia, 1982-85. Admitted to Maryland Bar, 1985; U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 1985; District of Columbia Bar, 1991. Associate, Farrington, Smallwood, Wells & Wyrough, 1989-92. Sole practitioner, 1992-94. Member, American Bar Association (cabinet, judicial division, 2012-16; communication committee, judicial division, 2012-; co-chair, editorial board, judges' journal, judicial division, 2012-16; appellate judges conference, 2012-; senior lawyers division, 2016-); National Bar Association, 2014-17; District of Columbia Bar Association, 1991-; Maryland State Bar Association, 1985- (board of governors, 1997-98, 2002-04; executive committee, 1999-2000, 2003-04; civil pattern jury instruction subcommittee, 2007-11); Prince George's County Bar Association, 1985- (president, 2001-02); J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, 1985- (president, 1993-94; chair, judicial selections committee, 1989-91; chair, long-range planning committee, 1992-93; chair, continuing legal education committee, 2006-11); Women's Bar Association of Maryland, 1985-. Member, Harry A. Cole Judicial Council, 1995- (chair, 2015-21); Alliance of Black Women Attorneys, 2012-; National Association of Women Judges, 2015-17. Board of Directors and Executive Committee, National Courts and Sciences Institute, 2015-21. Former member, Alan G. Goldstein Inn of Court (president, 1998-99); Daniel O'Connell Law Society. Board of Directors, Maryland Legal Services Corp., 1993-94; Catholic Charities, 1995-98; Queen Anne School, 2002-07. Fellow, Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource Center (ASTAR), Inc., 2005-15. Maryland Leadership in Law Award, Daily Record, 2008. President's Award, J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, 2010. Service Achievement and Philanthropy Award, Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 2010. A. Leon Higginbotham Award, National Bar Association, 2011. James H. Taylor Award, Prince George's County Bar Association, 2012. Maryland's Top 100 Women, Daily Record, 2014. Gertrude E. Rush Award, National Bar Association, 2014. Legacy Award, Alliance of Black Women Attorneys, 2014. Leadership Award, Prince George's County Harlem Remembrance Foundation, 2014. Mabel Hubbard Legacy Award, Women's Committee, J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, 2016. Influential Marylander, Daily Record, 2019.
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