For the first time in history, an African-American woman is serving on the bench in a Maryland appellate court.
In Annapolis Tuesday, Gov. Martin O’Malley delivered the oath of office to Prince George’s County Judge Michele Hotten.
Hotten was an associate judge for Prince George’s County Circuit court for 15 years. She now sits on the Maryland Court of Special Appeals -- the state’s second-highest court.
Hotten will represent the court’s fourth appellate circuit for Prince George’s County. Her appointment fills a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James Salmon.
O’Malley praised Hotten as an “extraordinarily well-respected and qualified” jurist of integrity, compassion and wisdom.
He also borrowed from a quote he attributed to the late mystic Thomas Merton and said, “Judge Michelle Hotten comes highly recommended, not only from her peers on the bench but also from lawyers who have appeared before her, as a person who knows how to apply justice to human affairs.”
