PRESS RELEASE: New Analysis Reveals Widespread Racial Disparities in Maryland’s Circuit Courts

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Shocking Data: New Analysis Reveals Widespread Racial Disparities in Maryland’s Circuit Courts

First-ever county analysis reveals severe racial disparities in state's most powerful trial courts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CLARKSVILLE, MD, Jul. 16, 2025 -- In a new analysis, the Student Justice Alliance sheds light on widespread racial disparities, even greater than previously recognized, in the state's judicial system. The Who Judges Maryland? report, the first comprehensive county-level analysis of Maryland's circuit court judicial demographics, released today warns that current circuit court judicial nominating processes are forcing millions of Marylanders to appear before judges who don't reflect their communities.

The analysis reveals that only four circuit courts in Maryland have proportional representation of Black judges relative to their Black populations, while 15 of 24 Maryland circuit courts feature only white judges. Further statistical analysis has revealed that these disparities cannot be attributed to chance alone. The research also reports suggestive patterns, showing that counties with more representative benches tend to have lower incarceration rates, pointing to potential tangible consequences of judicial diversity gaps. 

“People should see themselves in the systems that dictate their lives. That extends to the judicial system as well,” says Alvin Lee, founder of Student Justice Alliance and lead author of the report. “The numbers add up: we’re looking at a version of justice that excludes minorities. That’s especially concerning when we’re a minority-majority state.”

Circuit courts handle the state's most serious criminal cases, major civil disputes, and family law matters, making judicial appointments critical to the delivery of justice. However, a lack of accessible, reliable data has hindered previous efforts to reform the Maryland circuit court judicial system for years. This report fills that critical gap. 

The findings directly address limitations identified by Maryland's own Workgroup to Study Judicial Selections, which noted that "the diversity of the statewide numbers is not reflected in smaller counties and jurisdictions." That 63-page report called for improvements in the judicial selection process but lacked the county-specific data needed for more comprehensive reforms.

The research was conducted over five months through information requests under the Public Information Act as well as consultation with relevant experts, advocates, and stakeholders. 

“Young people are often dismissed in policy conversations, but this report proves that we can serve as knowledgeable leaders within our communities,” says Alvin Lee. “The judiciary should represent the population it serves, and Maryland’s youth is now stepping up to hold our systems accountable.”

The report calls for immediate reforms, including mandatory demographic data collection, strengthened diversity requirements for judicial nominating commissions, and active recruitment strategies to build more diverse candidate pools.

Report Access: The full Who Judges Maryland? report is available here.

About Student Justice Alliance: The Student Justice Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that empowers students to combat systemic injustices through advocacy, education, and research. Based in Columbia, Maryland, SJA produces evidence-based policy research to inform decision-making and promote justice reform.

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