ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - A judge from Prince George's County will take over this spring as the top judge of Maryland District Court.
Judge John Morrissey, 49, has been an associate judge for the District Court since 2005. He will take over for retiring Chief Judge Ben Clyburn, who has been District Court Chief Judge since 2004.
Mary Ellen Barbera, the chief judge of Maryland's highest court, praised Clyburn's fiscal responsibility and his efforts to integrate technology into court processes.
Morrissey was named Judge of the Year in 2013-2014 by the Maryland State Bar Association Litigation Section, according to a news release from the Maryland court system.
The District Court is the first point of contact for most people entering the court system. It has 116 state judges and nearly 2,000 employees.
