Judges Kerwin A. Miller, Sr. and Wayne A. Brooks named administrative judges for the District Court of Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Today District Court of Maryland Chief Judge John P. Morrissey, with the approval of Supreme Court of Maryland Chief Justice Matthew J. Fader, named Harford County District Court Judge Kerwin A. Miller, Sr., and Howard County District Court Judge Wayne A. Brooks as the new administrative judges for District 9 (Harford County) and District 10 (Howard and Carroll counties), respectively. Judge Miller’s new role is effective April 22, 2024, and Judge Brooks begins his role on May 13, 2024.  

Judge Miller succeeds District Administrative Judge Susan H. Hazlett, who will step down from her administrative judge role in preparation for her retirement on July 1, 2024, after more than 16 years of judicial service. Judge Brooks succeeds District Administrative Judge Pamila J. Brown, who will also step down from her administrative judge role in preparation for her retirement on July 1, 2024, after serving more than 20 years on the bench.

“I congratulate Judge Hazlett and Judge Brown on their judicial leadership and their extraordinary careers in the legal profession, both on and off the bench,” said Supreme Court of Maryland Chief Justice Matthew J. Fader. “Both have led with honor and distinction on the bench and they each have worked tirelessly on judicial committees and in their communities.  They will be missed upon their retirement this summer. I look forward to Judges Miller and Brooks continuing the charge as stewards by advancing the Judiciary’s mission of providing fair, effective, and efficient access to justice for all.” 

District administrative judges oversee the administration of the court and manage trial calendars to ensure the expeditious disposition of cases.

“Judge Miller and Judge Brooks are excellent and well-respected leaders in their districts, and I am confident they will both do tremendous work as they fulfil their administrative roles that judges Hazlett and Brown served dutifully for the past two decades,” said District Court of Maryland Chief Judge John P. Morrissey. “I also congratulate Judge Hazlett and Judge Brown on their upcoming retirements after their exemplary service to the bench and legal profession.”

Judge Miller was appointed as an associate judge to the District Court in Harford County in January 2019 by then-Governor Larry Hogan. His historic appointment made him the first African American male appointed to the bench in Harford County. Judge Miller serves on the Maryland Judicial Council’s Equal Justice Committee’s Community Outreach Subcommittee’s Harford County and Upper Shore Work Group, as well as the Problem-Solving Court and Public Education and Community Outreach subcommittees. He has served as the Harford County Bar Association’s president from 2021 to 2022 and has taught law courses at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, since 2008.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Miller was an administrative law judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings from 2015 to 2019. He was also a deputy state’s attorney for Cecil County from 2009 to 2015, serving as assistant state’s attorney from 2008 to 2009. Judge Miller served as an assistant state’s attorney in Baltimore County from 2006 to 2007 and an assistant public defender at the Office of the Public Defender, from 2003 to 2006.

Judge Miller earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Mary Washington College in 1995 and a juris doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law in 1999. He was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 2000.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected for this expanded role,” said Judge Miller. “I thank Chief Justice Fader and Chief Judge Morrissey for their vote of confidence in me and I look forward to continuing to work with my judicial colleagues and court staff in Harford County to provide access to justice for all. I also congratulate Judge Hazlett on her leadership in the District Court in Harford County over the years.”

Judge Brooks was appointed as an associate judge to the District Court in Howard County in June 2014 by then-Governor Martin O’Malley. Currently, he is the chair of the District Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Subcommittee of the Maryland Judicial Council’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee.

Judge Brooks served as an administrative law judge from 1995 to 2001 for the Office of Administrative Hearings, and then was elevated as an executive administrative law judge and deputy director of operations from 2001 to 2014. He also was an assistant public defender for the Mental Health Division of the Office of the Public Defender from 1991 to 1994; and was a a special assistant U.S. Prosecutor for the U.S. Magistrate Court during his service as a member of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1985 to 1986.

Judge Brooks earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Howard University in 1979 and a juris doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1984, where he also served as president of the student bar association. He was admitted to Maryland Bar in 1985.

“I have worked alongside Administrative Judge Pamila Brown for many years, and I am proud to have witnessed her exceptional leadership on the District Court bench in Howard County first-hand,” said Judge Brooks. “As I step into this new role, with the vote of confidence from Chief Justice Fader and Chief Judge Morrissey, I will continue to fulfill the judiciary’s mission of providing fair, efficient, and effective justice for all.”