Within a few months when its three vacancies are filled, the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court bench - of all the large circuit courts in Maryland - will become the most heavily dominated by appointees by Gov. Parris N. Glendening.
And, after a nearly complete turnover in seven years, it will also be unlikely to see further changes soon.
That, say court observers, raises the profile of the three judges' selection for a 10-judge bench that is now all white, with its sole black judge recently appointed to the Court of Special Appeals.
"This will be a very big appointment for diversity on the bench," said Annapolis lawyer Daryl D. Jones. "It will also send a message out to the attorneys in Anne Arundel County and law students about the openness of Anne Arundel County."
About half of Glendening's judicial appointments statewide have gone to women and minorities, and he named the first of both groups to the Anne Arundel Circuit Court, which now has two women.
Some experts say a look at the makeup of the fifth-largest circuit bench when the governor's tenure ends this year will be telling.
"The governor now has an unusual chance to make a large bench in his own image. Considering the appointments to these three vacancies, he should think about what he wants the whole bench to be like," said William L. Reynolds, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law.
The appointments are expected after the General Assembly session ends in April.
Governor's choices
The governor's choices for this court are likely to continue in the job for a long time, because those on the bench are relatively young and prospects are limited for moving up to the appellate courts. Most of its judges are under age 60; the law requires judges to retire at age 70.
The Glendening appointments can leave their mark on the local Circuit Court for many years, said Carl O. Snowden, longtime African-American activist and an assistant to County Executive Janet S. Owens.
"He will have an opportunity to leave Anne Arundel County with the most diversified Circuit Court in Anne Arundel history," he said. "That would be his legacy."
Three African-Americans are asking to be considered for the county Circuit Court.
Twenty people applied for the two vacancies created last year with the departures of Judges James C. Cawood Jr. and Eugene M. Lerner. The applicants included two African-American men, Rodney C. Warren, who is a lawyer in private practice, and District Judge Essom V. Ricks Jr.
