# Judge, Appellate Court of Maryland At Large: Dan Friedman (retention, Yes or No for continuance in office)
**In one sentence:** The Appellate Court of Maryland is the state's middle-level appeals court, one step below the Supreme Court of Maryland, and it hears appeals from almost any case that starts in a circuit court or orphans' court [1]. Voters across the state mark Yes or No on whether Judge Dan Friedman stays on that court [3][4].

## The candidates
### Dan Friedman (Non-partisan (judicial retention))
- **Background:** Born in Panorama City, California. He earned a B.A. from the University of Maryland College Park in 1988 and a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1994 [2]. His candidate filing lists Baltimore County as his home jurisdiction [4]. He wrote *The Maryland State Constitution: A Reference Guide*, republished by Oxford University Press in 2011 [2].
- **Top stated priorities:** We found no campaign platform or website. The State Board of Elections lists no website for him [4]. In a 2023 essay, he wrote that judges should not "pick a single theory" for reading a constitution. Instead, he said they should "use all available interpretive tools" [5].
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** He has been a judge on this court since September 23, 2014 [2]. Before that, he clerked for two judges, worked as a lawyer at the private firms Miles & Stockbridge and Saul Ewing, and was chief of litigation for Baltimore City's law department from 2000 to 2002. From 2008 to 2014, he was an Assistant Attorney General and Counsel to the General Assembly. He has also taught law part-time since 1998 [2]. In a September 2026 order, he agreed that Baltimore City's request to pause a records case brought by its Inspector General should be denied. He wrote separately that the City had raised "legitimate concerns" about protected records, but said those concerns did not justify a pause [6].

## Where they differ
- This is not a contest between candidates. The judge's name appears "without opposition," and voters mark Yes or No [3].
- **If Yes wins:** He stays in office for a 10-year term [3]. Judges on this court must retire at age 70 [3].
- **If No wins, or the vote is tied:** The seat becomes empty 10 days after the results are certified [3]. The Governor then appoints someone to fill it, with the state Senate's approval [3].

## If you care most about...
- **Experience on the bench** -> Friedman has served on this court since 2014. He has also served on Judicial Council committees on court technology, legislation, and court rules [2].
- **How judges read the constitution** -> He has written that no single method is enough by itself. He says he uses textualism (focusing on the exact words), originalism (focusing on what the words meant when adopted), and other tools, including critical race theory [5].
- **Government records and transparency** -> In the Baltimore Inspector General records dispute, he voted to deny the City's request to pause the case. He also noted the City's concerns about privileged records, meaning records the law can protect from disclosure, such as lawyer-client communications [6].
- **Voters' say over appointed judges** -> The Governor appoints judges on this court and the Senate confirms them. After that, voters face a Yes/No retention vote every 10 years [1][3].

## What we could not verify
- Endorsements, organized support or opposition, or campaign spending: Not found in sources checked.
- Results of his earlier retention vote: Not found in sources checked.
- His age, and whether the age-70 retirement rule would end a new term early: Not found in sources checked.
- Any judicial discipline record or independent performance rating: Not found in sources checked.
- Ballotpedia blocked automated access, and Vote411 showed no Maryland entry we could open.

## Confidence
Medium. Official sources confirm his background and how retention votes work, but we found no independent evaluations, endorsements, or news coverage focused on this vote.

## Sources
[1] Welcome to the Appellate Court of Maryland - Maryland Judiciary - https://www.mdcourts.gov/acm
[2] Daniel A. (Dan) Friedman, Judge, Appellate Court of Maryland - Maryland Manual On-Line, Maryland State Archives - https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/30sp/html/msa16938.html
[3] Constitution of Maryland, Article IV (Sec. 5A) - Maryland State Archives - https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/43const/html/04art4.html
[4] 2026 Gubernatorial General Election State Candidates List (CSV) - Maryland State Board of Elections - https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/General_candidates/2026_GG_statewide_candidatelist.csv
[5] Applying Federal Constitutional Theories to State Constitutions (by Dan Friedman) - State Court Report - https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/applying-federal-constitutional-theories-state-constitutions
[6] Maryland appellate court denies Baltimore's bid to pause Inspector General records case - WBFF FOX45 - https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/maryland-appeals-court-rejects-baltimore-bid-to-pause-inspector-general-lawsuit