Lawsuit Filed Over Exclusion of Unaffiliated Voters from Judge's Race
LEONARDTOWN --- There are as of January, 20,120 Democrats, 17,608 Republicans and 7,093 Independents in St. Mary's County and everyone has a voice in the race for circuit court judge except the independents. 

It used to be that the elections officials said there was no mechanism for independent voters to vote in party primaries, as candidates for Judge file in both party primaries, but with the advent of the runoff races in the school board contest, the elections officials simply put together a non-partisan primary ballot which allows independent voters to take part in the school board election.

Since the elections officials are able to bring off a non-partisan school board election, why not let independent or unaffiliated voters (those who choose not to align themselves with either party) vote?  

Leonardtown attorney Micheal Suessman filed suit in Circuit Court and a special three judge panel will hear the suit this Friday, March 6th. 
The suit has been joined by the American Civil Liberties Union and legal experts expect that the court will throw out the segment of the complaint which challenges the election held on March 2nd, due to the fact that had a proportionate number of independents voted in the election, their numbers would not have changed the outcome.  It is more likely that the Court could decide that Maryland law needs to be changed to deal with the inequities of excluding unaffiliated voters.
A Maryland Court of Appeals ruling in a similar matter has judged that third parties such as the Green Party can advance candidates for Judge onto the general election ballot.
But the long and the short of it is that the effect of the lawsuit filed last week in St. Mary's Circuit Court will not set aside the election victory of Judge Karen Abrams.