Retired Maryland Judge was able to make a difference

A recently retired Maryland Judge, Judge C. Philip Nichols Jr., reflected on his decades-long career on the bench and was happy to “be part of something that made a difference.” The 19th Chief Judge of the 7th Judicial Circuit of Maryland in Prince George’s County retired on his 70th birthday, which is the state-imposed retirement age for judges.

The Chief Judge presided over more than 70,000 cases in his career, including two death penalty cases, and signed more than 18,000 search warrants.

“A courthouse is a mirror of society,” the Chief Judge said reflecting on his career. “You see the absolute best and the absolute worst. When you talk about inhumanity — if you’re on jury duty, you see it and if you’re on grand jury duty, you see more of it.”

The Judge was elected to the Orphans Court twice early in his career from 1977 to 1985. He was appointed as a Circuit Court Judge in 1992 and then elected to a 14-year term in 1994 and then again in 2012.

The Judge spoke about the difficulties of the job, including the emotional aspects of it, especially when dealing with cases involving child custody, child abuse or anything else pertaining to children.

He will continue to work cases into 2018 as a senior Judge until a new Chief Judge takes his position. He will work throughout the Seventh Judicial Circuit while serving time as a senior Judge. The Seventh Judicial Circuit encompasses all of Southern Maryland.

When faced with issues related to divorce, child custody or spousal support, an experienced family law attorney can answer all of your questions and guide you in the right direction in Maryland.

Source: The Baltimore Sun, “Retired Chief Judge ‘got to be part of something that made a difference’,” Andrew Michaels, July 06, 2017