348/Maryland Manual

Donald W. Mason, Matthew J. Mullaney, Harry
I. Stegmaier, William Walsh.

Paul J. Stakem, District Public Defender

The terms of all members of the District Advisory
Boards for the Public Defender System expire on Janu-
ary 1, 1981.

800 Equitable Building
Baltimore 21202 Telephone: 659-4830

The Public Defender System was created by
Chapter 209, Acts of 1971, to provide for the re-
alization of the constitutional guarantees of coun-
sel in the representation of indigents, including
related necessary services and facilities, in crimi-
nal and juvenile proceedings within the State, and
to assure effective assistance and continuity of
counsel to indigent accused taken into custody
and indigent defendants in criminal and juvenile
proceedings before the Courts of the State of
Maryland, and to authorize the Office of the Pub-
lic Defender to administer and assure enforce-
ment of these provisions.

The Board of Trustees of the Public Defender
System consists of three members appointed by
the Governor for three-year terms. Two of the
members must be active attorneys-at-law. The
Board elects its own Chairperson.

The Public Defender is appointed by the Board
of Trustees and serves at the Board's pleasure. He
must be an attorney-at-law, admitted to practice
law in Maryland by the Court of Appeals, and
must have engaged in the practice of law for a
period of five years prior to his appointment. The
Public Defender, with the approval of the Board
of Trustees, appoints the Deputy Public Defender
and one District Public Defender for each Dis-
trict of the District Court who must possess the
same qualifications as the Public Defender. Assis-
tant Public Defenders may also be appointed by
the Public Defender with the advice of the Dis-
trict Public Defenders.

Each District has a District Advisory Board
composed of five members. One member is the
judge of the Circuit Court or the District Court
in the district. The other four must be active at-
torneys-at-law and are appointed by the Gover-
nor for three-year terms. The Governor annually
designates the chairperson of each board.

The Public Defender provides legal representa-
tion for indigent defendants in criminal or juve-
nile proceedings requiring the presence of counsel
before a commissioner or judge, post-conviction

In 1975 the Public Defender installed three Di-
visions in the headquarters office, i.e.. Mental
Health, Appellate, and Inmate Services. Each Di-
vision provides services as indicated by furnishing
representation to all persons involuntarily com-
mitted to facilities under the jurisdiction of or li-
censed by the State Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene, the processing of all appeals to
the Appellate Courts, and legal assistance to all
indigent inmates who have legal problems con-
cerning their incarceration. The law applies only
to representation in or respect to the courts of
Maryland. The Public Defender must submit a
report annually to the Board of Trustees, the
Governor, and General Assembly. The Public
Defender system commenced operation on Janu-
ary 1, 1972 (Code 1957, Art. 27A).

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

Chairperson: Thomas J. Hatem, 1982

Haskell N. Arnold, 1981; Lilo K. Schifter, 1984;
Wayne B. Hamilton, 1985; William A. Badger,
1986.

James A. Pine, General Counsel
John K. Keane, Jr., People's Counsel
Ronald A. Decker, Staff Counsel
Paul G. Daniel, Staff Counsel
Ronald E. Hawkins, Executive Secretary
John W. Dorsey, Chief Engineer
Kirk J. Emge, Chief Hearing Examiner
Joseph S. A. Giardina, Director of Transportation
Marshall E. Stokely, Chief Auditor

Son V. Le, Director, Rate Research and Eco-
nomics

UTILITY CONSUMER ADVISORY
PANEL

Members appointed by the president of the Senate:
John Bambacus, 1981; Randall Coates, 1981;