Hammond Urner

Court of Appeals (1909-1938)

Judge Hammond Urner argued his first case at the Maryland Court of Appeals level in 1893, and 16 years later he was appointed as an Associate Judge to the Court. He gave an address named Reminiscences to the Maryland State Bar Association in 1940 outlining his memories of serving on the Court.

Urner's piece shed some light about the Court’s consultations of current cases. He noted opinions are a continuing work in progress throughout the case, and sometimes on last consultation revisions would be made to meet a judge’s objections that resulted in a change of the majority opinion to a minority view upon further consideration. Discussions were frequently quite animated when diversities of opinion developed among the judges. Urner compared the judges’ respect for each other despite the varied opinions to the Greek philosophers who debated their views centuries earlier.

Urner’s piece gives a small glimpse into a profession that he enjoyed doing for so many years.

http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/speccol/sc2600/sc2685/html/ctappj.html

“Reminiscences.” Maryland State Bar Association (1940).