Van Hollen, Cardin Laud Judiciary Committee Approval of Adam Abelson, U.S. District Court Nominee for Maryland

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today praised their colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee for promptly sending the nomination of Magistrate Judge Adam Abelson to the full Senate on a bipartisan vote for confirmation to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

“Judge Abelson is an outstanding nominee for the federal judiciary. His commitment to public service and the rule of law is without question. We recommended Judge Abelson to President Biden for this position because of his strong experience, integrity and demonstrated belief in equal justice for all. We look forward to his timely confirmation by the full Senate so he may continue to serve the people of Maryland,” Senators Van Hollen and Cardin said.

If confirmed, Judge Abelson would fill the seat of former Chief Judge James K. Bredar, who took senior status on April 30, 2024.

U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE ADAM B. ABELSON

Judge Adam B. Abelson has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland since 2023. Prior to his judicial service, Judge Abelson worked in private practice at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP from 2012 to 2023, rising from associate to partner. He served as a law clerk for Judge Andre M. Davis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 2011 to 2012 and Judge Catherine C. Blake on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland from 2010 to 2011. Judge Abelson received his J.D., magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law in 2010 and his B.A., cum laude, from Princeton University in 2005.

Before law school, Abelson served in Santiago, Chile as a research fellow for Human Rights Watch and the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales. 

While a litigator with Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, Abelson represented clients in complex civil litigation, white collar criminal defense, and government investigations. He was named a 2020 Young Lawyer of the Year by The American Lawyer, one of five nationwide. He maintained an active pro bono practice and is deeply involved in the community and legal profession. He serves as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Working Group on Building Public Trust in the American Justice System, for which he worked to develop the ABA’s Ten Guidelines on Court Fines and Fees and coordinated its development of the ABA’s Principles on Law Enforcement Body-Worn Camera Policies.  He has served on the board of the Job Opportunities Task Force since 2017, including serving as the Vice Chair, and as a board member and officer of the Maryland Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

In September 2023, Judge Abelson was sworn in as a United States Magistrate Judge and sits in Baltimore.  As a sitting federal Magistrate Judge, Judge Abelson presides over criminal preliminary criminal proceedings, including initial appearances, detention hearings, and arraignments.  He handles federal misdemeanor offenses, and reviews applications for search and arrest warrants, pen registers, and trap and trace devices.  On the civil side, he presides over civil proceedings by consent of the parties, conducts settlement conferences in civil lawsuits, and decides discovery disputes and non-dispositive motions.