Gov. Martin O'Malley last week appointed two county attorneys, including one prosecutor, to the Baltimore County Circuit Court.

Ann Brobst and John Nagle were appointed on Nov. 30 to fill the retirement vacancies left by John Hennegan and Lawrence Daniels, respectively.

"For the past 30 years, Ann Brobst has been an outstanding prosecutor, helping to protect her neighbors in Baltimore County," O'Malley said in a statement. "John Nagle is a pillar of the Baltimore County bar and will be an excellent addition to the bench."

Brobst is one of two deputy state's attorneys for Baltimore County. She joined the office in 1979.

In 1986, she was named chief of the Circuit Court Division of the state's attorney's office and specializes in high-profile homicide prosecutions.

Nagle is president of the Towson-based law firm of Bodie, Nagle, Dolina, Smith and Hobbs.

Nagle joined the firm and focused on civil defense litigation and corporate law. He later formed the firm's section focusing on asbestos defense, construction defect, lead paint, mold and other general defense cases.

One of the first orders of business for both new judges will be running for election. Both Brobst and Nagle will have to stand for election in 2010 -- when the terms of Hennegan and Daniels would have expired.

If elected, though, they would serve 15 year terms.

"I've helped with some campaigns, but I've never run," Nagle said in an interview Dec. 2.

With the exception of working one year in a law firm that handled civil litigation including First Amendment law for the News American in Baltimore, Brobst has spent her entire career in the county state's attorney's office.

"It's new," Brobst said of running for election. "But it's not a skill set I don't have. I'm used to talking to people."

Because the positions are nonpartisan, judges are listed on both Democratic and Republican primary ballots. If the same judges win both elections, or are unopposed, they do not have to run in the general election in November.

---

user comments (0)