WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) today thanked their Senate colleagues on the Judiciary Committee for their bipartisan approval of current U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Maddox’s nomination to be elevated to serve as a U.S. District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Born and raised in Baltimore, Judge Maddox has been nominated to fill one of two current vacancies at the Maryland-based federal district court. In May, the Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of U.S. Magistrate Judge Brendan Hurson to fill the other opening on the federal district court.

“Judge Maddox is exceedingly qualified to serve on the federal bench, and we are proud to see his nomination advance to the full Senate. A former prosecutor and lifelong public servant, Judge Maddox brings the highest levels of integrity, competence and judicial temperament to the U.S. District Court. Marylanders can be confident that Judge Maddox will advance justice and equality under the law,” the senators said.

U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE MATTHEW MADDOX

U.S. Magistrate Judge Maddox graduated summa cum laude from Morgan State University in Baltimore in 1999, where he majored in philosophy and religious studies, and minored in psychology. After receiving his B.A. degree, Judge Maddox was a Fulbright Scholar and taught high school through the Teach for America program.  Judge Maddox received his J.D. degree from the Yale Law School in 2011. 

Upon graduation from law school, Judge Maddox served as a law clerk to the Honorable Gerald Bruce Lee, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia. From October 2012 to August 2014, Judge Maddox worked as a litigation associate at the law firm of Holland & Knight in Washington, D.C. From August 2014 to August 2015, Judge Maddox served as a law clerk to the Honorable André M. Davis, a judge serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

In September 2015, Judge Maddox was appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Maryland. In this capacity, Judge Maddox prosecuted a range of criminal cases and conducted trainings for law enforcement on the topics of human trafficking and identity theft. In November 2020, Judge Maddox was selected to serve as Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Section in the Northern Division of the United States Attorney’s Office.

Judge Maddox has served as a United States Magistrate Judge in Baltimore since February 2022. He was nominated by President Biden for the district court in March 2023, and the Judiciary Committee held a hearing on his nomination in July.