Judge E. Gregory Wells
Added Diversity to Maryland’s Courts
(1961 – )
Judge E. Gregory Wells, originally from Washington, D.C., attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. While at William and Mary, one of his professors convinced him to go into law. Wells felt that he could really make a difference pursuing this path, so he began his life’s journey. After receiving his Bachelor in Law in 1983, he attended the University of Virginia school of Law. He graduated in 1986 with his Juris Doctor. From 1986-1989, Wells worked with various law firms. Then in 1989, he was appointed the Assistant State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County.
In the mid-1990s, he was accepted into the JSD program at UC Berkeley and received an offer from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. However, he turned both down after receiving a call from Calvert County State’s Attorney Bob Riddle asking Wells to be his Deputy Attorney. Judge Wells became an advocate on many levels, especially in family law.
On March 12, 2019, Governor Larry Hogan appointed him as the Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, and he assumed office on March 22. Judge Wells is the first African American and openly LGBTQIA+ to hold this position. He is the recipient of many awards, including Outstanding Leadership Awards from Calvert County in 1998 and 2004, an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Calvert County Chapter of the NAACP in 2010, a Service Award from the Optimist Club of Calvert County in 2012, and others.
Did you know?
Maryland is one of the most diverse states when it comes to minorities in judicial positions. According to a report by Maryland Matters, June 22,2022, people of color make up 43% of the Appellate Court. 57% are women and about 40% of those are women of color.
Additional Resources
https://ballotpedia.org/E._Gregory_Wells.
https://ballotpedia.org/. Accessed 11 20, 2023.
E. Gregory Wells – Ballotpedia
Hogan swears in new chief judges for Maryland appellate courts
(wbaltv.com) https://www.weaa.org/local-news/2022-02-17/first-african-american-first-openly-lgbtq-person-named-chief-judge-of-court-of-special-appeals
Klepper, Diane Feuerherd and Steve. 2022. https://mdappblog.com/. March. Accessed 11 20, 2023. https://mdappblog.com/2022/03/16/cosa-spotlight-the-honorable-e-gregory-wells/
msa.maryland.gov. July 27. Accessed 11,2023 https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/30sp/html/msa14576.html
Narh-Mensah, Nene. 2022. https://www.marylandmatters.org/. 6 23. Accessed 11 20, 2320. https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/06/23/brennan-center-finds-maryland-ranks-highly-in-state-high-court-diversity/
