Van Hollen, Cardin Laud Final Confirmation of U.S. District Court Judge for Maryland

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) praised the long-awaited confirmation of U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Gallagher to fill the vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Judge Gallagher will occupy the seat previously held by Judge William D. Quarles, Jr., who announced his retirement effective February 2016. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts previously declared this Maryland seat as a judicial emergency based on the length of the vacancy and the caseload of the court.

“Judge Stephanie Gallagher is undeniably committed to public service and has worked on behalf of Marylanders for years. Senator Cardin and I recommended her to the Administration with our full support because we believe she has the experience, judgment, and temperament necessary for this position. Our state has been without a U.S. District Judge for the District of Maryland for far too long, and I’m pleased the Senate has confirmed her today,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“The people of Maryland will be well served with Judge Gallagher finally elevated to serve as a U.S. District Court judge. Her legal acumen, strong roots in the Maryland legal community, and ongoing judicial experience will make her an incredible asset as a federal district court judge,” said Senator Cardin. “I was pleased to recommend Judge Gallagher’s nomination to both President Obama and President Trump. Her resiliency and dedication to the rule of law is a great example to others. I thank Senator Van Hollen for working with me to ensure we seek out the best attorneys in our state for federal judicial vacancies.”

U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE STEPHANIE GALLAGHER

Stephanie Agli Gallagher, of Baltimore, Maryland, currently serves as a United States Magistrate Judge, a position she has held since 2011. In September 2015, President Obama nominated Gallagher to be a U.S. District Judge for the District of Maryland. In April 2016, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on her nomination, and in May 2016 the committee favorably reported her nomination by voice-vote to the full Senate. Unfortunately, the full Senate did not take action on her nomination before the 2016 presidential election, and her nomination expired in January 2017. Following recommendations by Senators Cardin and Van Hollen, she was renominated by President Trump in June 2018 and approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in October 2018. She was nominated again by President Trump in May 2019 and subsequently approved by the committee for a third time in June 2019.

Prior to serving as magistrate, Gallagher was a partner and co-founder at Levin & Gallagher LLC (now Levin & Curlett), she served as an Assistant US Attorney in Baltimore and was a Litigation Associate at Akin Gump in Washington, DC. She has practiced a wide variety of law including complex civil litigation, employment disputes, constitutional issues, criminal defense, and criminal prosecution.  Gallagher began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge J. Frederick Motz of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland from 1997 to 1999.  She received her J.D. in 1997 from Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude, and her B.S. in government from Georgetown University in 1994, graduating magna cum laude.

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