CHIEF JUDGE
![[photo, Robert M. Bell, Chief Judge, Court of Appeals]](/msa/mdmanual/29ap/images/msa11654.jpg)
ROBERT M. BELL, Chief Judge, Court of Appeals, 6th Appellate Circuit (Baltimore City), since 1996 (Judge, May 16, 1991-). Chair, Maryland Judicial Conference, 1996-. Member, Executive Committee, 1996-2000, and Judicial Compensation Committee, 1996-, Maryland Judicial Conference. Chair, Library Committee, State Law Library, 1996-. Member, Judges, Masters and Juvenile Justice Committee, 1996-. Chair, Committee on Building Public Trust and Confidence in the Justice System, 1998-99. Chair, Maryland Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission, 1998-2001. Chair, Hall of Records Commission, 1998- (member, 1996-). Chair, Technology Oversight Board, 1999-. Member, State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy, 1999-2000; Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, 2000-02. Chair, Public Trust and Confidence Implementation Committee, 2000-. Chair, Judicial Cabinet, 2000-. Chair, Judicial Council, Maryland Judicial Conference, 2000-. Chair, Advisory Board, Maryland Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office, 2001-. Member, State Commission on Public Safety Technology and Critical Infrastructure, 2002-05; Task Force on Child Welfare System Accountability, 2003-04; Task Force to Study Criminal Offender Monitoring by Global Positioning Systems, 2004-.
Board of Directors, National Center for State Courts, 2004-05. Board of Directors, Conference of Chief Justices, (1st vice-president, 2005; vice-chair, committee on access to & fairness in the courts, 2005).
Judge, District Court of Maryland, District 1, Baltimore City, 1975-80. Member, Court of Appeals Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, 1977-82; Commission to Revise the Annotated Code of Maryland, 1980-82. Associate Judge, Baltimore City Circuit Court, 8th Judicial Circuit, 1980-84. Board of Directors, Judicial Institute of Maryland, 1982-84. Judge, Court of Special Appeals, 6th Appellate Circuit (Baltimore City), 1984-91. Member, Judicial Compensation Committee, 1993-. Born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, July 6, 1943. Attended Dunbar High School, Baltimore, Maryland; Morgan State College, A.B. (history & political science), 1966; Harvard University Law School, J.D., 1969. Admitted to Maryland Bar, 1969. Member, National, American, Maryland State, Baltimore City and Monumental City Bar Associations. Member, Legal Aid Society, 1973-75. Board of Directors, Villa Julie College, 1978-85; Sojourner-Douglass College, 1982-91. Chair, Board of Directors, Provident Hospital, 1983-84. Board of Directors, The African-American Community Foundation, 1994-. Board of Visitors, University of Maryland School of Law, 1994-. Board of Trustees, Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2000-. Special Award, Maryland State Bar Association, 1998. Legal Excellence Award for Advancement of Public Service Responsibility, Maryland Bar Foundation, 1999. Rosalyn B. Bell Award, Women's Law Center of Maryland, 1999. Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access, Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, American Bar Association, 2000. Access to Justice Tribute Award, Pro Bono Resource Center, 2001. Maryland Top Leadership in Law Award, Daily Record, 2001. Rita C. Davidson Award, Women's Bar Association of Maryland, 2001. D'Alemberte/Raven Award, Dispute Resolution Section, American Bar Association, 2003. First annual Robert M. Bell Award for leadership in public service, Students for Public Interest, University of Baltimore School of Law, 2004. Medal for Access to Justice, Maryland Legal Services Corporation, 2004. Honorary Board Member, Baltimore Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, 2005.
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