Robert Charles Murphy, the retired chief judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals who presided over the transformation of the state judiciary while earning a reputation as a pragmatic jurist and tough administrator, died early yesterday of neuromuscular disease at his Timonium residence. He was 74.
Before retiring in 1996 after 25 years as chief of Maryland's highest court, Judge Murphy oversaw the state's 252 judges, introduced such modern methods as computer tracking of cases, and created a system that temporarily recalled retired judges to the bench.
One of his most historic accomplishments was creation of the state's District Court system, replacing the state's old patchwork of local courts once overseen by politically minded, and at times corrupt, judges, magistrates and justices of the peace.
He was 45 years old when Gov. Marvin Mandel appointed him to head the Court of Appeals, becoming the youngest chief judge in Maryland's history.
"He did a magnificent job in elevating the status of the court outside of the state of Maryland," Mandel said yesterday. "It is now considered one of the foremost appellate courts in the country.
"I appointed him so he would have longevity in office. Before that, the rule was that appointments were done on the basis of seniority," Governor Mandel said. "His accomplishments and opinions were respected throughout the nation, and it's a terrible loss that he has passed on."
Judge Murphy once referred to himself as a "a mainstream moderate." As chief judge, he wrote hundreds of opinions and established a record as a solid centrist more comfortable with interpreting the law than making it.
"He was politically astute, knew politicians and understood the process," said former Gov. William Donald Schaefer, now the state comptroller. "He was always straight, honest and a very fine man."
Robert Charles Murphy was born the son of Leo J. Murphy, a Boston-born Baltimore & Ohio Railroad detective, and Eva LaFontaine Murphy, an industrial spy and professional whistler, family members said.
Reared in the Pimlico section of the city, he graduated from Forest Park High School, where he picked up such skills as shorthand and typing, which he would use later in life as a lawyer and judge.
His decision to pursue law came one summer in his youth while he was working at Lake Roland selling fishing licenses and renting rowboats.
