Maryland › Howard County › Judge of the Circuit Court, Judicial Circuit 5
4 candidates are tracked for Judge of the Circuit Court, Judicial Circuit 5 on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Elizabeth Adams, Sidney A. Butcher, Ginina A. Jackson-Stevenson and Maurice C. Frazier. Candidate information follows official Howard County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Elizabeth Adams, Sidney A. Butcher, Ginina A. Jackson-Stevenson, Maurice C. Frazier are on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Judge of the Circuit Court in Judicial Circuit 5 (Anne Arundel, Carroll, Howard), a nonpartisan contest, per the State Board of Elections' certified 2026 Gubernatorial General candidate list.
An attorney with more than 25 years of trial and appellate experience in Maryland state and federal courts, including as an Assistant State's Attorney for Anne Arundel County, per adams4judge.com and Eye On Annapolis. Clerked for Circuit Court Judge Eugene M. Lerner and has handled criminal prosecution and defense, civil litigation and federal matters over 26 years, per Eye On Annapolis.
2026 priorities
- Impartial application of the law and listening to all parties, per the campaign site
- Keeping communities safe alongside fairness and accountability, per Eye On Annapolis
Source: candidate campaign site.
Campaign site →
Appointed to the Circuit Court by Governor Wes Moore in December 2025, after serving on the District Court following an appointment by Governor Larry Hogan, per circuitcourt.org and campaign site. Spent over a decade as a prosecutor and assistant attorney general and led the Monumental City Bar Association, per judgesidneybutcher.com.
2026 priorities (per the judgesidneybutcher.com)
- Judicial experience and bipartisan trust from appointments by both parties' governors
- Experience, integrity and impartiality on the bench
Source: candidate campaign site.
Campaign site →
Appointed to the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in December 2023, per circuitcourt.org and campaign site. Previously served as the first African American woman Circuit Court Magistrate, operated her own law firm for 10 years, and worked as a public defender for 7 years, per judgejacksonstevenson.org.
Campaign site →
Appointed by Governor Wes Moore to the Howard County Circuit Court on September 26, 2025, part of the 5th Judicial Circuit that also elects judges county-wide across Anne Arundel, Howard and Carroll counties, per Office of Governor Wes Moore. Served 15 years as a prosecutor in the Howard County State's Attorney's Office, concluding as chief of the general crimes unit, and served as a family law magistrate in Howard County since 2022, per Office of Governor Wes Moore. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Maurice C. Frazier.
