Cathleen M. Vitale

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Cathleen M. Vitale

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Maryland 5th Circuit Court Anne Arundel County

Tenure

Present officeholder

Term ends

2031

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2016

Appointed

December 30, 2014

Education

Bachelor's

University of Maryland, College Park

Law

University of Baltimore School of Law

## Contents

* 1 Education
* 2 Career
* 3 Elections
* 3.1 2016
* 3.1.1 Selection method
* 4 Recent news
* 5 See also
* 6 External links
* 7 Footnotes

Cathleen M. Vitale is a judge of the Fifth Circuit for Anne Arundel County in Maryland. She was appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley (D) on December 30, 2014.[1] She won election to her seat in the general election on November 8, 2016.[2]

## Education[edit]

Vitale received a B.A. from the University of Maryland - College Park, and a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.[1]

## Career[edit]

Prior to her judicial appointment, Vitale was a solo practitioner. She was also a representative of District 33 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2010. She was a member of the Anne Arundel County Council for 11 years.[1]

## Elections[edit]

### 2016[edit]

See also: Maryland local trial court judicial elections, 2016

Maryland held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on April 26, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 3, 2016.[3] Incumbent Donna Schaeffer, incumbent Cathleen M. Vitale, incumbent Stacy McCormack, and incumbent Glenn L. Klavans defeated Claudia Barber in the Maryland 5th Circuit Court general election for Anne Arundel County.[2]

Maryland 5th Circuit Court (Anne Arundel County), General Election, 2016

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Donna Schaeffer Incumbent | 22.59% | 154,044
Cathleen M. Vitale Incumbent | 22.32% | 152,219
Stacy McCormack Incumbent | 21.92% | 149,500
Glenn L. Klavans Incumbent | 18.62% | 126,942
Claudia Barber | 14.13% | 96,373
Write-in votes | 0.41% | 2,807
Total Votes | 681,885
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election Official Results," accessed January 18, 2016

The four incumbents running for re-election in this race drew criticism from some for hiring a consulting firm owned by the wife of an assistant state's attorney. Fred Guy, of the University of Baltimore, said such a move created "a perception of a conflict of interest." Assistant State's Attorney Lawrence Scott, whose wife Francine runs the firm, defended the partnership and said any conflict of interest would need to be determined on a case-by-case basis with an individual judge. The Capital Gazette noted that a number of law offices, attorneys, and others in the law profession had donated more than $90,000 to the campaign.[4]

Maryland 5th Circuit Court (Anne Arundel County), Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Donna Schaeffer Incumbent | 20.29% | 37,713
Cathleen M. Vitale Incumbent | 20.00% | 37,170
Stacy McCormack Incumbent | 18.57% | 34,509
Claudia Barber | 13.78% | 25,614
Glenn L. Klavans Incumbent | 12.95% | 24,070
Rickey Nelson Jones | 7.46% | 13,863
Mark Howes | 6.96% | 12,928
Total Votes | 185,867
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Judge of the Circuit Court," May 31, 2016

Maryland 5th Circuit Court (Anne Arundel County), Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Cathleen M. Vitale Incumbent | 23.16% | 40,094
Donna Schaeffer Incumbent | 20.87% | 36,142
Stacy McCormack Incumbent | 20.33% | 35,207
Glenn L. Klavans Incumbent | 18.66% | 32,304
Mark Howes | 7.17% | 12,419
Claudia Barber | 5.40% | 9,357
Rickey Nelson Jones | 4.40% | 7,617
Total Votes | 173,140
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Judge of the Circuit Court," May 31, 2016

#### Selection method[edit]

See also: Assisted appointment

The 152 judges of the eight Maryland circuits are chosen by the governor with help from a nominating commission. The judges of this court do not need to be confirmed by the Maryland State Senate.[5][6]

Circuit judges serve for one year, after which they must run in nonpartisan elections if they wish to continue serving.[7] If re-elected, they serve for 15 years.[5][6]

The chief judge of each circuit court is chosen by seniority.[5]

Qualifications
To join either of these courts, a judge must be:[5]

* a U.S. and state citizen;
* a registered state voter;
* a state resident for at least five years;
* a circuit resident for at least six months;
* a state bar member;
* at least 30 years old; and
* under the age of 70 (retirement at 70 is mandatory).

## Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Cathleen Vitale Maryland judge. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Cathleen M. Vitale - Google News

## See also[edit]

* Maryland Fifth Circuit
* Courts in Maryland
* Judicial selection in Maryland

## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 mymcmedia.com, "Governor O’Malley Appoints Ten Judges," December 30, 2014
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Listing: Judge of the Circuit Court," February 4, 2016
3. ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Election Dates," accessed February 4, 2016
4. ↑ Capital Gazette, "Assistant prosecutor's wife hired by judges' campaign," October 9, 2016
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Maryland," archived October 27, 2010
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Maryland; Overview," archived October 26, 2010
7. ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Judicial Elections," accessed January 19, 2015

Maryland courts

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Federal courts:

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Maryland • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Maryland

State courts:

Maryland Court of Appeals • Maryland Court of Special Appeals • Maryland District Courts • Maryland Circuit Courts • Maryland Orphans' Court

State resources:

Courts in Maryland • Maryland judicial elections • Judicial selection in Maryland