Judge of the Orphans' Court in Baltimore City, Maryland

2026 Primary Election

• Charles "Chuck" Bernstein — Judge of the Orphans' Court in Baltimore City, Maryland

  Charles "Chuck" Bernstein is a Democratic candidate running for re-election as a Judge of the Orphans' Court of Baltimore City in Maryland. Bernstein received a bachelor's in economics from Western Maryland College in 1961 and earned a J.D. from the University of Maryland in 1967. Early on, he served as an Assistant State's Attorney, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and a Federal Public Defender. After practicing law privately and working as an instructor, he served as a Circuit Court Judge from 2006 to 2009. Bernstein was first elected to the Orphans' Court in 2014, winning re-election in 2018 and 2022. He is on the 2026 Democratic primary ballot.

• Lewyn Scott Garrett — Judge of the Orphans' Court in Baltimore City, Maryland

  Lewyn Scott Garrett is a Democratic candidate running for re-election as a judge of the Orphans' Court of Baltimore City in Maryland. Born in Baltimore in 1955, he earned his undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Maryland Baltimore County before receiving his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1978. Garrett has served on the Baltimore City Orphans' Court since November 1995 and was appointed Chief Judge in April 2014. In addition to his extensive judicial experience, he has maintained a private legal practice in Baltimore for over forty years, specializing in criminal defense, family law, and personal injury.

• Michele E. Loewenthal — Judge of the Orphans' Court in Baltimore City, Maryland

  Michele E. Loewenthal is a Democratic judge of the Orphans' Court of Baltimore City in Maryland. Assuming office in July 2011, she is running for re-election in the 2026 primary. Loewenthal earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1979 and her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1983. In her early legal career, she was an attorney at the Legal Aid Bureau and an Assistant Attorney General in the Maryland Office on Aging. She has also maintained a solo practice and worked of counsel at the Sperling Law Office since the 1990s. She has served on the Conference of Orphans' Court Judges.