Judge Karla N. Smith named administrative judge for the Circuit Court for Montgomery County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2025

Government Relations and Public Affairs
187 Harry S. Truman Parkway
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Judge Karla N. Smith named administrative judge for the Circuit Court for Montgomery County

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – On December 1, 2025, Supreme Court of Maryland Chief Justice Matthew J. Fader named Judge Karla N. Smith as administrative judge for the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. Judge Smith’s appointment as administrative judge begins on March 14, 2026, upon the retirement of Circuit and County Administrative Judge James A. Bonifant.

County administrative judges oversee the administration of the court, budget, and procurement functions and manage trial calendars to ensure the expeditious disposition of cases.

“I congratulate Judge Bonifant on his forthcoming retirement and thank him for his leadership while serving as both circuit and county administrative judge,” said Chief Justice Fader. “Judge Smith is an accomplished jurist and leader in Montgomery County. Her work on the bench and in this new role will continue to ensure fair, efficient, and effective justice for all.”

Judge Smith was appointed as an associate judge by then-Governor Martin J. O’Malley to the District Court in Montgomery County and was sworn in August 30, 2012. She served as member of the Judiciary’s Public Awareness Committee from 2013 to 2015, and the chair of the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council from 2014 to 2017. Judge Smith was later appointed as an associate judge to the Circuit Court for Montgomery County and sworn in January 23, 2015. She has served as the presiding judge for the Circuit Court for Montgomery County Adult Drug Court since 2021.

In March 2022, Judge Smith was appointed Chair of the Defense Advisory Committee on the Investigation, Prosecution, and Defense of Sexual Assault in the Armed Forces (DAC-IPAD), by President Biden’s Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The DAC-IPAD is a congressionally created federal advisory committee which was established to enhance the fairness, effectiveness and transparency of the military justice system in addressing sexual assault crimes. Judge Smith served as the chair of the committee until its operations were suspended in March 2025.

“I am honored to have been selected by Chief Justice Fader to be the next administrative judge of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County,” said Judge Karla N. Smith. “The court has a long, proud history of diligently serving the citizens of Montgomery County. We will continue to honor that legacy by ensuring all county residents have efficient and equitable access to justice.”

Judge Smith represents the circuit court on the Montgomery County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (DVCC), the county executive’s council that annually makes recommendations regarding the implementation of best practices in combating domestic violence. Judge Smith was the chair of the DVCC from February 2014 through February 2017. 

Prior to her appointment on the bench, Judge Smith served as a prosecutor for over 15 years, including serving as an assistant state’s attorney in Montgomery County from 1996 to 1997, and an assistant state’s attorney in Prince George’s County from 1997 to 2000. She also served as chief of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office’s family violence division from 2007 to 2012. Additionally, she served as a member of the Governor’s Family Violence Council from 2009 to 2013, a member of the Sexual Offender Advisory Board from 2010 to 2012, and a member of the Children’s Justice Act Committee of the State Council on Child Abuse and Neglect in 2009.

Judge Smith earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland College Park in 1991 and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1995. She was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1995 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1997. She is a member of the  
Maryland State Bar Association and the Montgomery County Bar Association and served on the executive committee of the Montgomery County Bar Association from 2014 to 2015. She is also a member of the Montgomery County Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, and the Montgomery County Chapter of the American Inn of Court.

Judge Smith is former chair of the Child Abuse and Sex Offense Committee of Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association. She has also served as an adjunct professor at The American University and the University of Maryland at Shady Grove. In 2015, Judge Smith earned Marilyn J. Praisner Founder’s Award from the Montgomery County Family Justice Center Foundation and the Mary Hatwood Futrell Award from the National Education Association. Judge Smith was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Daily Record in 2019.

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