Niemann applies for District Court judgeship

‘‘[The legislature] is great fun, but I’m looking forward to new challenges,’ Niemann said last week. ‘‘I think there’s a real need for folks with a balanced perspective and experience.”

O’Malley (D) will fill the judgeship from a list submitted by the Judicial Nominating Commission. Niemann is the only elected official among those up for consideration.

Other lawyers vying for the positions include John Anthony Bielec, a federal attorney and former deputy attorney for the Prince George’s County government; Blake Minoru Fetrow, a family law attorney in Riverdale; Abraham Fernando Carpio, an assistant state attorney general; and Richard Allen Moore II, a public defender in the county, according to a list of candidates on the state judiciary Web site.

Other candidates declined to comment, saying the search is still under way.

Candidates have met and answered questions with area bar associations, which send recommendations to the nominations group.

Elected in 2002, Niemann has worked as a prosecutor in the county State’s Attorney’s office for more than a decade. A former corporate and non-profit communications worker, Niemann began his political career on the Mount Rainier City Council in 1983.

In Prince George’s County, there were 40,000 cases handled by the district court last year. Under state law, district court judges are paid $127,000 a year.

If Niemann is nominated, his promotion will create another shakeup in the 47th Legislative district, which stretches from Langley Park to Cheverly to Landover. Early this year, the district senator, Gwendolyn Britt, died of heart failure, prompting a tense political battle over her replacement.

After weeks of lobbying by county politicians, members of the county Democratic Central Committee named County Councilman David Harrington to the Senate by one vote, defeating former County Executive candidate Rushern Baker.

E-mail Daniel Valentine at dvalentine@gazette.net.