On Monday, March 2, 2026, The Daily Record reported that Maryland Appellate Court Judge Donald E. Beachley retired last month, creating a vacancy on the state’s second-highest court. Beachley, who served on the court as an at-large member for nearly a decade, retired on February 1st, according to Terri Charles, a spokesperson for the Maryland judiciary.
Beachley chose to retire almost a full year before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 for state judges. He will turn 70 in late December. Through Charles, he declined to comment on his departure.
His retirement presents Democratic Governor Wes Moore with his first opportunity to appoint an at-large member to the 15-member Maryland Appellate Court. At-large members can reside anywhere in the state, unlike other members who must come from specific counties or regions.
Governor Moore’s initial Maryland Appellate Court vacancy was for an Eastern Shore seat, where he appointed Stephen Kehoe in 2024.
Steve Klepper, a principal at Kramon & Graham in Baltimore, initially noted the vacancy and discussed it in a blog post published by the Maryland State Bar Association. Klepper noted that the vacancy marks the first chance for a Democratic governor to appoint an at-large judge since 2014.
Beachley was appointed in 2016 by former Governor Larry Hogan, after serving on the Washington County Circuit Court for over 18 years. Prior to that, he was a partner at Miller, Oliver, Beachley & Stone.
According to Charles, the application period will not officially commence until Governor Moore authorizes the judiciary to advertise the vacancy. The current pool of applicants includes two eligible candidates: Cecil County Circuit Court Administrative Judge Brenda Sexton and Somerset County Circuit Court Magistrate Mark Tyler. Sexton was appointed to the bench in 2014 and became the county administrative judge in 2024. Tyler was named a magistrate in late 2021.
Source: The Daily Record
