Hogan Selects Montgomery County Circuit Court Judges

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Governor Larry Hogan has picked appointments for three vacant circuit judge positions in Montgomery County, according to a news release.

Hogan appointed Jill Cummins, David Lease and District Court Judge Margaret Schweitzer to the Circuit Court for Montgomery County Monday. He made the appointments after "conducting a thorough vetting process" and reviewing nominees from the judicial nominating commissions, Hogan said in a statement.

“Throughout their legal careers they have exhibited integrity and a commitment to justice. I offer my sincere congratulations, and I am confident that they will serve the citizens of their communities well," Hogan said.

Cummins, Lease and Schweitzer were selected out of ten finalists recommended by the Judicial Nominating Commission for Montgomery County.

Cummins will succeed Judge Joseph A. Dugan Jr., whose term expired this year. Cummins has been staff counsel at Allstate Insurance Company since 1993 and has served as Managing Attorney for the capital region since 2005, according to the news release. Prior to joining Allstate Insurance Company, she worked as a litigation associate at two Montgomery County-based law firms.

Lease will fill the seat of Judge Marielsa A. Bernard, who retired in July. Lease is a founding member and shareholder at the Rockville law firm Smith, Lease & Goldstein. He has also worked at the law firms of Stein Sperling and Gordon Feinblatt, and as outside counsel to the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors.

Schweitzer will fill the seat of Judge John W. Debelius III, who retired in August. She has served as a judge on the District Court for Montgomery County since 2014. Before that, she served as the Chief of the District Court Division at the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, the news release states.

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