(Baltimore, MD — December 5, 2007) The Circuit Court for Baltimore City announced today that Judge John Philip Miller has been named Judge in Charge of the Criminal Division, effective January 1, 2008.

Judge John M. Glynn has held the position of Judge in Charge of the Criminal Division since January 2003, and will be returning to the civil docket when Judge Miller assumes the position. Judge Miller will also replace Judge Glynn as Chair of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Under the guidance of Judge Glynn, the Circuit Court has revised the assignment and management of the criminal docket which has greatly improved the efficiency of the operation of the court. "In his five-year tenure, Judge Glynn has done an outstanding job with the myriad responsibilities as judge-in-charge of the criminal docket," Judge Marcella A. Holland, Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, said.

In a career spanning more than 30 years in the fields of civil and criminal law, Judge Miller is eager to begin leadership of the Criminal Division, having previously served as both a district court and circuit court judge. Judge Miller stated, "Management of the Circuit Court's criminal docket presents constant challenges. With the state's largest volume of criminal cases, we must be ever vigilant to find ways to improve the court's access to justice. Judge Glynn is to be highly complimented on his leadership and innovation and I hope to build on them in the future."

In making the announcement, Judge Holland indicated, "I am sure that the entire bench and those who work in the Criminal Division are anxiously awaiting Judge Miller's arrival and will show great support and cooperation to him as he undertakes this very important function for the court."

Judge Miller was appointed to the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City in 1996 and elevated to the Circuit Court for Baltimore City in 2001. For the past five years he has served as the Judge in Charge of the Misdemeanor Jury Trial Docket and as a member of the court's Management Committee.

Judge Miller is a graduate of Gettysburg College and the Washington & Lee University School of Law. He began his career as an Assistant State's Attorney in Baltimore City and spent a considerable part of his legal career as a litigation partner in the firms of Kaplan, Heyman, Greenberg, Engelman and Belgrad and Wright, Constable and Skeen, LLP.

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