Hogan appoints three to Baltimore’s District Court

Gov. Larry Hogan’s office announced three judicial appointments Thursday to the District Court in Baltimore. Hogan named Katie O’Hara, Michael Studdard, and Nicole Taylor after reviewing nominees from the judicial nominating commission for Baltimore, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The appointees “each possess an extensive legal background and have exhibited integrity and a commitment to justice throughout their careers,” Hogan said in a statement. O’Hara previously worked as a city prosecutor and is now as a hearing officer for the Baltimore City Environmental Control Board. Studdard is a city prosecutor and has worked for the city state’s attorney’s office for more than two decades. Taylor is a partner at the Law Offices of Taylor & Taylor and previously worked as an assistant public defender, serving as an attorney adviser for the Drug Enforcement Administration, and worked for the firms of Nicole R. Egerton, Franklin and Prokopik and Tydings & Rosenberg. O’Hara, Studdard and Taylor were among 15 nominees considered by the nominating commission, which interviewed and voted on candidates, and submitted the names to the governor. The new appointments will fill vacancies left by Jamey H. Hueston, Miriam B. Hutchins and Nathan Braverman.