Judge Michele Hotten Appointed to Court of Appeals

Today Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that he is elevating Judge Michele Denise Hotten, currently of the Court of Special Appeals, to fill the vacancy on the Court of Appeals created when Judge Glenn Harrell Jr. reached mandatory retirement age this past June.

The governor’s press release states:

Michele Denise Hotten will fill a vacancy on the Maryland Court of Appeals. Michele Hotten has been a judge for the past twenty-one years, serving on the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, and the District Court for Prince George’s County. Her previous experience includes private practice and service in Prince George’s County Government. Judge Hotten graduated from the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C.

Thus, Judge Hotten will join former Chief Judge Robert Bell on the list of judges who have sat on every level of the state judiciary. The governor selected from three names that the Judicial Nominating Commission forwarded to him in August.

Judge Hotten sits on the Court of Special Appeals seat reserved for the 4th Appellate Judicial Circuit (Prince George’s County). When that vacancy is advertised, therefore, the list of applicants should be significantly shorter than the long list for the “at large” seat recently vacated by Judge Zarnoch.