Matthew J. Fader (born July 23, 1973) is an American lawyer serving as the chief justice of the

Supreme Court of Maryland The Supreme Court of Maryland is the state supreme court, highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its name was changed on December 14, 2022, from the Maryland Court of Appeals, after a voter-approved change to the state constitution. The cou ...

since 2022. He previously served as the chief judge of the

Maryland Court of Special Appeals Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

from 2018 to 2022.

Early life and education

Fader was born on July 23, 1973, in

Towson, Maryland Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorpo ...

. He received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

in 1995, where he was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

. Fader received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

in 1998, where he was senior editor of the ''

Yale Law Journal The ''Yale Law Journal'' (YLJ), known also as the ''Yale Law Review'', is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students ...

''.

Legal career

Fader began his legal career serving as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

for judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roa ...

from 1998 to 1999. He served as a trial attorney with the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

from 1999 to 2002. From 2002 to 2006, he was an associate with

K&L Gates K&L Gates LLP is an American multinational corporation law firm based in the United States, with international offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Its namesake firms are Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, a Pittsburgh-ba ...

, becoming a

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

in 2006 and remaining so until 2010. From 2010 to 2017, he served in the office of the

Maryland Attorney General The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits. To run for the office a person must be a citizen of and qual ...

; serving as an assistant attorney general from 2010 to 2012, deputy chief of the civil litigation division from 2012 to 2017, and chief of the civil litigation division in 2017.

Judicial career

file:Swearing in Judge Fader (52005543612).jpg, Appointment as a judge of the

On October 6, 2017, governor Larry Hogan announced the appointment of Fader to serve as a judge of the

. His term began on November 1, 2017. On November 20, 2018, Governor Hogan announced his designation of Fader as chief judge; his term as chief judge began on November 28, 2018. On February 17, 2022, Governor Hogan announced the appointment of Fader to be a justice of the

to the seat vacated by judge Joseph M. Getty when he reached mandatory retirement age on April 14, 2022. On March 7, 2022, a committee hearing was held on his nomination, and on March 9, his nomination was reported favorably out of committee. The

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

confirmed his nomination on March 15, 2022, and he was sworn in as Chief Justice on April 15, 2022.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fader, Matthew J. 1973 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American lawyers Judges of the Appellate Court of Maryland Maryland lawyers Ohio lawyers Pennsylvania lawyers People from Towson, Maryland United States Department of Justice lawyers University of Virginia alumni Virginia lawyers Yale Law School alumni Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Maryland Judges of the Supreme Court of Maryland