Governor Moore Appoints Four Judges to Local Courts

ANAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore has announced the appointment of four judges to the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court and the Baltimore City District Court. The new appointees are Judge Sidney A. Butcher, Elizabeth López, Noelle W. Newman, and Otis Freeman.

Governor Moore expressed confidence in the qualifications of the new judges, stating, "The Anne Arundel County Circuit Court and Baltimore City District Court are gaining four exceptional legal minds who have dedicated their careers to upholding the law." He highlighted their diverse experiences in public defense, prosecution, and federal service as assets to the judiciary.

Judge Sidney A. Butcher

Judge Butcher has been serving on the Anne Arundel County District Court since his appointment in 2019. His previous roles include working as an assistant attorney general in the Medicaid Fraud Unit and as a prosecutor in the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office. He has also held leadership positions within the Maryland State Bar Association and is a former member of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. Judge Butcher earned his law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law.

Elizabeth López

Elizabeth López has devoted her legal career to public defense, with 15 years of experience at the state level and the last four and a half years at the federal level. Currently, she supervises felony attorneys for the Office of the Federal Public Defender. López has previously worked as a supervising attorney at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender and has created models for defending children charged as adults. She earned her law degree from the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Noelle W. Newman

Noelle W. Newman has been with Pessin Katz Law’s General Litigation Group since 2022, focusing on domestic relations, civil, and criminal defense. Her prior experience includes 15 years at the Baltimore City State's Attorney’s Office, where she served as deputy state’s attorney. Newman has advocated for public safety reforms and is a past president of the Monumental City Bar Association. She earned her law degree from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.

Otis Freeman

Otis Freeman currently serves as an assistant chief counsel in the Baltimore Office of the Principal Legal Advisor at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Before this role, he was an assistant attorney general representing the Uninsured Employers' Fund and spent seven years as an assistant state’s attorney in Baltimore City. Freeman began his legal career as a law clerk in the homicide unit of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office. He earned his law degree from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Reported by HarborBeat based on The Office of Governor Wes Moore (.gov) (source).