The age of constitutional senility

April 8, 2008

04_07_raker.jpgToday marked Court of Appeals Judge Irma S. Raker’s last session of oral argument before turning 70, and Chief Judge Robert M. Bell used the occasion to take a not-so-subtle jibe at the Maryland Constitution’s requirement that jurists retire upon hitting that magic age.

Shortly after beginning Tuesday’s session at 10 a.m., Bell heaped praise on Raker, saying she has “served this court with distinction,” noting her “strong intellect” and thanking her for placing great importance on “civility” among the judges and the attorneys who appear before them.

Then the chief judge delivered the kicker: “The Constitution regards her as senile.”

Raker will join Judge Dale R. Cathell as Court of Appeals judges who have reached age 70 but remain on the top court until a successor is appointed.

Cathell, noting that they are similarly situated, said he welcomes the fact that Raker “joins me in senility.”

STEVE LASH, Legal Affairs Writer

Sphere: Related Content

Posted by The Daily Record | Filed Under court of appeals, law 

Comments

One Response to “The age of constitutional senility”

  1. Ron Miller on April 9th, 2008 9:56 am

    As I’ve written before, mandatory retirement at 70 for judges is outdated. Fortunately, it seems that everyone who wants to finds a way to continue to sit after mandatory retirement. But it is time to amend the constitution, at least with respect to judges.

Got something to say?





Business

The business staff of The Daily Record newspaper will contribute to this section. We'll write about topics ranging from the workplace to energy to the environment, but we'll strive to keep it as local as possible.

RSS Business posts

Law

The Daily Record’s been Maryland’s legal newspaper for 120 years or so. Now, we want to be Maryland’s legal blog, too. Click here to join the discussion and read posts by our legal team, including our Monday law blog round-up.

RSS Law posts

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

  • Ronald Henry Pierce: Not proud of how we came together, but proud to have her. Want to read about the chld’s...
  • vampire: ROFL - that Bruce, he sure has a way with words. Karma, dude.
  • Any Given Tuesday: To the previous commenter, unless you’re paid to submit comments to blogs, I’m going...
  • Caryn Tamber: You’re right; I should have credited the Romenesko media blog, which is where I read the story...
  • curious: Either you read the Seattle Times on a regular basis (unlikely), or you read about Shakespear...