George J. Hazel confirmed as federal judge in Md.

Judge George J. Hazel {Photo via The Baltimore Sun}

The United States Senate recently confirmed George Jarrod Hazel to be a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Judge Hazel was confirmed on May 1, 2014 by a vote of 95-0. He had been nominated for the seat in January by President Barack Obama.

Immediately prior to taking the bench Judge Hazel had served as the Chief Deputy State’s Attorney in the office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City. As the second-in-command of the office he oversaw the prosecution of felony cases many of which were among the office’s most high profile. His confirmation won praise from those he worked with in Baltimore.

“George is a talented, knowledgeable, and dedicated lawyer who has earned the respect and admiration of the judges in the Baltimore City Circuit Court, lawyers and colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and the men and women of the Baltimore City Police Department and federal law enforcement partners. He has been an integral and large part of the improvements in the effectiveness of the State’s Attorney’s Office. Although we will greatly miss his talent and his wisdom, our loss is the nation’s gain. We in the State’s Attorney’s Office are all enormously proud of George and wish him the very best in this next phase of his legal career,” said Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein.

He also won the praise of the two United States Senators who represent Maryland. U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) said of him, “Mr. Hazel has fought to keep our communities safe as a prosecutor, and is an active member of local organizations.”

Hazel who is a graduate of Morehouse College and the Georgetown University Law Center began his career in private practice. Later he spent five years as an assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia and in Maryland.