Cathleen M. Vitale
From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 4 min
2031
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]
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.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 mymcmedia.com, "Governor O’Malley Appoints Ten Judges," December 30, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Listing: Judge of the Circuit Court," February 4, 2016
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Election Dates," accessed February 4, 2016
- ↑ Capital Gazette, "Assistant prosecutor's wife hired by judges' campaign," October 9, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Maryland," archived October 27, 2010
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Maryland; Overview," archived October 26, 2010
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Judicial Elections," accessed January 19, 2015
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
EncycloReader
is supported by the 
KSF