Baltimore City Circuit Administrative Judge Marcella Holland has begun her term as the new chair of the National Bar Association Judicial Council. Judge Holland was sworn into office during the association’s 85th Annual Meeting, held last month in New Orleans. ??Judge Holland has served on the Baltimore City Circuit Court since September 1997, and was appointed circuit administrative judge in November 2003.
She was the first African-American woman administrative judge in Maryland. “I am honored to have been chosen by my colleagues from around the country,” Judge Holland said in a statement. “I am particularly thrilled to be chair during this 40th anniversary of the NBA Judicial Council. As we plan a year-long celebration of our accomplishments, it is appropriate to rededicate ourselves to the goals and mission of the Judicial Council, including eradicating racial and class bias in every aspect of the judicial process, and improving the public’s trust and confidence in the courts.”
As chair, Judge Holland will lead the implementation of the Judicial Council agenda, which includes seminars and conferences for the exchange of judicial experiences and the training of new judges and the improvement of the ethnic balance of the federal and state judiciary.
?The National Bar Association (NBA) was founded in 1925 and is the oldest, largest bar association for people of color, predominantly African Americans. One of its founders, the late Charles Howard, Sr., was the father of former Baltimore City Circuit Court and federal judge, the late Joseph C. Howard, and his brother, the late Charles Howard, Jr., who was the only president of the NBA from Baltimore.