Judge of the Circuit Court in Judicial Circuit 5, Maryland

2026 Primary Election

• Elizabeth Adams — Judge of the Circuit Court in Judicial Circuit 5, Maryland

  Elizabeth Adams is a Judicial candidate running for Judge of the Circuit Court in Maryland’s Judicial Circuit 5, serving Anne Arundel County. A lifelong county resident, Adams has over 25 years of trial and appellate experience in state and federal courts. Practicing criminal and complex civil litigation, she has served in county government and the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. She previously worked as an Assistant State's Attorney and was the 2024-2025 President of the Anne Arundel Bar Association. She earned a B.A. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

• Sidney A. Butcher — Judge of the Circuit Court in Judicial Circuit 5, Maryland

  The Honorable Sidney A. Butcher is a candidate for Judge of the Circuit Court in Judicial Circuit 5, serving Anne Arundel County, Maryland, in the nonpartisan Judicial election. Governor Wes Moore appointed him to the Circuit Court in December 2025. Previously, Judge Butcher served on the Anne Arundel County District Court from 2019 to 2025 after an appointment by Governor Larry Hogan. His extensive legal career includes a decade as a prosecutor with the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office, private practice in white-collar litigation, and work as an assistant attorney general. He earned his law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law.

• Ginina A. Jackson-Stevenson — Judge of the Circuit Court in Judicial Circuit 5, Maryland

  Ginina A. Jackson-Stevenson is running as a Judicial candidate for Judge of the Circuit Court in Maryland's 5th Judicial Circuit. Appointed to the Circuit Court in December 2023, she brings extensive legal experience to the bench. Before her judicial appointment, she served as a Family Law Magistrate in Anne Arundel County from 2020 to 2023, making history as the first African-American female Magistrate in the county's circuit court history. Previously, she operated a solo law firm handling family, criminal, and personal injury cases and worked as an Assistant Public Defender. She earned her J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

• Rowena N. Nelson — Judge of the Circuit Court in Judicial Circuit 5, Maryland

  Rowena N. Nelson is an experienced Maryland attorney and founder of the Law Office of Rowena N. Nelson, LLC, where she has practiced family, criminal, and business law for over twenty years. Born in Jamaica, Nelson immigrated to the United States at age twelve and later earned her law degree in Florida. Early in her career, she served as a judicial law clerk for a Maryland Circuit Court judge, gaining valuable insight into judicial reasoning and courtroom management. Nelson is currently running for Judge of the Circuit Court in Maryland's Judicial Circuit 5 (Anne Arundel County) as a Judicial party candidate.

• Maurice C. Frazier — Judge of the Circuit Court in Judicial Circuit 5, Maryland

  Hon. Maurice C. Frazier is an Associate Judge on the Circuit Court for Howard County, part of Maryland's 5th Judicial Circuit. He is running in the nonpartisan judicial elections to retain his seat for a fifteen-year term. Prior to his elevation to the bench, Judge Frazier dedicated much of his career to public service. From 2007 until his judicial appointment in March 2022, he worked at the Howard County State's Attorney's Office, becoming the general crimes unit chief. Having also served as a Family Magistrate, Frazier brings vast trial experience and a strong background in managing complex cases to the Maryland judiciary.