Nonpartisan

Carlos Acosta

Where you live: Silver Spring, MD

Date of birth: Aug. 4, 1963

Current occupation and employer:

Circuit Court Judge – January 2022 – present; District Court Judge – January 2018 to January 2022; Inspector General, Prince George’s County Police Department – February 2012 to January 2018

Political experience:

No prior political office held.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestbenchformontgomery

Why are you running for this office?

Prior to being elevated to the Circuit Court, I had served the residents of Maryland for the last four years as a District Court judge. In these positions I have tried hundreds of cases and handled thousands of matters. My prior experience as a state and federal prosecutor with my work as a civil litigator and inspector general gives me deep experience to undergird and bolster my service to Montgomery County residents who need fair and impartial decisions from the judiciary. I wish to continue to serve the public in this manner.

What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it?

The most important issue in this race is ensuring that all litigants enjoy speedy access to the courts. Due to the pandemic, the courts pivoted to virtual technologies to allow litigants to socially distance and appear via the internet to keep cases moving. Justice delayed is justice denied. The courts can continue to allow many administrative or procedural hearings to proceed in this manner. This will ensure that cases are delayed as little as possible, with less wasted time and expense assisting those with less funds to devote to litigation costs. Doing this will allow the court system to address the heavy case backlog currently existing. I will incorporate as many of these technological tools as possible to this goal.

What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office?

I am an experienced District and Circuit Court judge. I was the Prince George’s County Police Department’s inspector general (independent authority over the Internal Affairs Division, as well as investigating systemic or programmatic issues affecting PGPD missions). I was the deputy state’s attorney for Prince George’s County (supervising the Homicide, Violent Crime, Gun, Felony Trial, Economic Crime and Grand Jury units). I was a Department of Justice Criminal Division Gang Squad trial attorney. I was a special assistant United States attorney (USAO-DC) in the Organized Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, an assistant state’s attorney in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and an adjunct associate professor of law (American University Washington College of Law) instructing courses in prosecutorial ethics and prosecuting complex homicides. My experience will assure an excellent understanding of legal issues and challenges and ensure fair and impartial trial work.

Theresa Chernosky

Where you live: Gaithersburg

Date of birth: April 15, 1970

Current occupation and employer:
Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge
Deputy district public defender, Montgomery County
Assistant public defender, Montgomery County
Assistant public defender, London, Kentucky

Political experience:

N/A

Website: https://electsittingjudgesmcs.com/

Email: sittingjudgechernosky@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElectSittingJudgesMontgomeryCounty

Why are you running for this office?

I am running to maintain my position as a Circuit Court judge. I am looking to continue to be a public servant in Montgomery County and to participate in the judicial system in a role other than as a public defender. I would also like to start to build confidence in our justice system again by being a respectful, empathetic, and thoughtful listener who can think outside of the box when needed to solve problems.

What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it?

I believe a serious concern is the confidence in the system. In order to address the concern, I will listen to learn, I will listen with empathy and compassion, and I will judge as fairly as possible. I will treat all individuals before me with respect and will listen whether they are represented or not. I will communicate effectively to ensure that as a person leaves my courtroom they understand the decision even if they don’t agree with the decision. I will mentor and encourage others in the legal system to build up and strengthen the legal community.

What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office?

I have been working with people as a public defender for more than 25 years. I have learned to listen, to respect and to empathize with everyone in the system regardless of where they find themselves in the system. I have learned to find resources and to problem solve in order to be as effective as possible as an advocate for each of my clients. I have learned to communicate within the system in order to be the achieve the goals of my clients when possible. These skills will form the foundation for my career as a Judge.

Kathleen Dumais

Where you live: Rockville

Date of birth: July 5, 1958

Current occupation and employer:

Current Position: Associate judge for the Circuit Court for Montgomery County since Dec. 3, 2021. Prior positions: senior counsel, Ethridge Quinn Kemp Rowan & Hartinger, Rockville – July 2011 to Dec. 2021; principal, Paley Rothman, Bethesda- July 1996 to July 2011

Political experience:

Delegate, Montgomery County District 15 – January 2003 to November 2021. I successfully ran for delegate in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.

Website: https://www.ElectSittingJudgesmcs.com

Email: SittingJudgeDumais@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElectSittingJudgesMontgomeryCounty

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/bestbenchformontgomery

Why are you running for this office?

I am running to be retained as an associate judge on the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. Appointment to the bench is a great honor and privilege which required an extensive vetting process by state and county bar associations; at least 12 specialty bar associations; and the Trial Court Nominating Commission. This commission sends a list of qualified candidates to the governor, who then conducts a separate review and vetting. Pursuant to the Constitution, Circuit Court appointees must run for the position in the first election after their appointment. I respectfully ask for your vote for the me and the other qualified sitting judges – Judge Acosta, Judge Chernosky and Judge McGuckian.

What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it?

In this race, educating voters about the role of Circuit Court judges and the judicial selection process is critical. The Constitution provides limited guidance to the governor in making judicial appointments. In 1970, Gov. Mandel issued an executive order creating the Judicial Nominating Commissions to assist in the selection process. Every governor since 1970 has issued a similar executive order. The responsibility of the Judicial Nominating Commissions is to screen candidates for judicial office at all levels – District, Circuit and Appellate courts. This screening process allows the governor to appoint the most highly qualified candidates from a list of thoroughly vetted candidates. The governor conducts a separate review and vetting and interviews each candidate before making the appointment. However, a lawyer who is at least 30 years old and a state resident can simply pay the filing fee and be on the ballot with the sitting judges without vetting.

What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office?

I practiced law here in Montgomery County for 32 years before being sworn in as a member of the bench. My practice concentrated in family law – divorce, custody, and domestic violence – and included significant courtroom experience. I am also a trained mediator and did a great deal of mediation as part of my practice. I have always been active in the community. For 19 years I served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 15, which runs from Potomac to the Frederick County line, primarily west of I-270. I held several leadership roles – as majority leader and vice of the House Judiciary and Economic Matters committees. From my professional, legislative, and personal experience, I understand the importance of hearing both sides. I am a good, patient listener. I am committed to finding resolutions that are fair and just under the law. Throughout all facets of my career, I have worked to ensure access to justice and equal and fair treatment for all.

Thomas Johnson (Information not submitted)

Rachel Theora McGuckian

Where you live: Rockville

Date of birth: March 28, 1968

Current occupation and employer:

Associate judge, Circuit Court for Montgomery County (Jan. 14, 2022 – present)
Miles & Stockbridge P.C., Rockville Office managing principal (July 1996 – Jan. 13, 2022)
Lt. colonel, MDDF JAG Corps, service to the Maryland National Guard (2005-2016)

Political experience:
Maryland State Board of Elections (board member 2009-2014)
Maryland State Ethics Commission (commissioner 2014-2015)

Website: https://www.electsittingjudgesmcs.com

Email: rtmcguckian@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElectSittingJudgesMontgomeryCounty/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestbenchformontgomery

Why are you running for this office?

I am a life-long resident of Montgomery County and product of our public schools. After almost three decades of successful private practice and service to the Maryland National Guard, I want to give back to my community for the remainder of my career through service as a judge. My immediate family’s dedication to our community, including in local government, historic preservation and special education, also inspired my decision to enter public service.

What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it?

It is important to educate voters on the significance of electing vetted, qualified judges. The appointed sitting judges completed a detailed 25-plus page application, were scrutinized by approximately 13 diverse bar associations, screened by a referendum ballot sent to over 2,000 lawyers, then vetted again by an independent nominating commission. The challengers were not found qualified many times, and now circumvent the vetting process altogether by paying a $50 fee to run for a 15-year term. It is imperative that only vetted, qualified judges make the important decisions that affect you, your family, your friends, your business and your community.

What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office?

For 29 years in private practice in the largest Maryland headquartered law firm, I represented clients in cases ranging from complex civil to divorce and custody to criminal appeals. Having litigated hundreds of cases in the state and federal courts of Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, I was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the highest honor for a trial attorney. As a working single mother, I empathize with many of the challenges people face, and never forget that the matter before me is often the most difficult and important in the lives of the litigants.

Marylin Pierre

Where you live: Gaithersburg

Date of birth: Sept. 18, 1965

Current occupation and employer:

Attorney, Pierre & Associates, Attorneys and Counselors at Law (1993-present)
Family law facilitator, Montgomery County Circuit Court (2006 – 2016)

Political experience:

Maryland Democratic Central Committee Member (2009-2010)
Circuit Court judge candidate (2018 and 2020)

Website: http://PierreForJudge.com

Email: MarylinForMaryland@gmail.com

Facebook: MarylinPierreForJudge

Twitter: @PierreForJudge

Instagram: @Marylin_Pierre_For_Judge

Why are you running for this office?

I’m running for judge out of my love for Montgomery County where I have practiced law for over 30 years. What I haven’t loved is what I perceive as elitism from too many judges here. I haven’t loved judges telling my clients to learn to speak English or face jail, their handing out of excessive sentences, or treating people with disrespect.

As public servants, judges should treat the people before them with compassion, dignity, and respect.

What is the most important issue in this race and what specific plans do you have to address it?

This race’s most important issue is ensuring that people are held accountable for what they do, not for who they are. Maryland incarcerates a higher percentage of its young Black males than any other state in the country. The Justice Policy Institute’s research shows that this is because of the excessive sentences that the judges give them. The ACLU’s research on Maryland’s school-to-prison pipeline reaches an even grimmer conclusion. The United States Department of Justice’s research shows that excessive sentences don’t increase public safety.

I will practice restorative justice which research shows increase public safety and decrease costs.

What experience (work, political or other) has prepared you to hold this office?

I am a litigator with significant experience representing clients in court. Over 60% of the cases in the Circuit Court are family law cases. As a result of my exemplary experience in family law, the Montgomery County Circuit Court appointed me as a family law facilitator to help the court resolve disputes for almost 10 years.

As a facilitator, I became well aware of the paradigms that occur in divorce, custody, child support, and other family law disputes. Because a facilitator has to remain neutral, I learned to help families reach solutions that are in their best interest.