Heartfelt thanks to the 13,403 people who voted for me.
Heartfelt thanks to the 13,403 people who voted for me.
Re-Elect Judge Marc Knapp
Re-elect Orphans' Court Judge Marc Knapp
Professional. Experienced. Qualified.
Licensed Attorney.
Member of the Maryland Bar.
My Credentials
BA - Brown University (1966)
MBA - Columbia University (1968)
JD - University of Baltimore (2014)
Admitted to the Maryland Bar (2015)
Elected to the Orphans' Court (2022)
About Me
My Journey to the Orphans' Court
I retired in 2009 after a long and successful career in banking, finance, and management consulting. In 2011, I gave up on golf and decided to go to law school - I was, frankly, terrible at golf. I had no thoughts of practicing law. My motivation was personal growth - I'm a big believer in life-long education.
I first learned about the Orphans' Court in 2018. I confess that I, like many, used to pay little attention to "down-ballot", non-policy, elective positions. As I, like many, knew nothing about what the down-ballot jobs actually entailed -- much less the professional qualifications of the candidates for those positions -- I tended not to vote "down ballot". But the name "Orphans' Court" tickled my imagination. I dug in to discover that "Orphans' Court" had nothing to do with orphans. That it was just Maryland's way of saying "probate court". I was shocked to find that you need neither legal training nor experience to be an Orphans' Court judge. But I had a law degree. I had a solid background in business and finance. I took a lot of relevant courses in law school. I'm a quick study. So, why not. I threw my hat into the ring, and was elected.
Why Did I Run
I was motivated to run for the Orphans' Court by my sense of public service. I had the education, experience and critical thinking skills needed for the job. I knew I could pick up the legal specifics and courtroom management skills I lacked without too much trouble.
I didn't run because I needed a job. I don't view the position as a stepping stone to higher office. I wasn't handed the job as a thank-you for party loyalty. I ran to serve you, the county resident.
More About Me
Career highlights
First term accomplishments
First term accomplishments
- Treasurer of two major banks.
- Managing director of two management consulting firms
- CFO & COO of three start-ups
- SCORE mentor
- Judge of the Orphans' Court
First term accomplishments
First term accomplishments
First term accomplishments
- Learned the job - on-the-job training for courtroom management and relevant law
- Mentored a new judge
- Reduced number of cases that were appealed
If re-elected
First term accomplishments
If re-elected
- Improve efficiency - shorten the time between filing a petition and having it heard
- Do a better job documenting decisions
- Continue mentoring
Controversy at the Court
As anyone who’s followed the news of the Court during the past 3 years knows, I've been surrounded by controversy. As the papers have reported, at various times, I've been charged with stalking, destruction of evidence and illicitly recording my colleagues. What the papers haven’t been so good at reporting is that every one of these charges was dropped for the same simple reason - there was no evidence to back it up. And what the papers haven’t reported is that, one way or another, every one of these charges is traceable back to one person, a fellow Orphans’ Court judge whom the Judicial Disabilities Commission characterized, citing “the gravity of [her] misconduct”, as not “fit to sit as an Orphans’ Court Judge”, as having a “prior disciplinary history”, and who lacks “the requisite conduct, interpersonal skills, leadership and accountability to remain a member of Maryland’s judiciary.” Before you decide if I'm fit to serve another term because of this controversy, please consider the facts.
