Irma S. Raker
Irma Steinberg Raker[2] (born April 28, 1938[2]) is a Senior Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, the state's highest court.[1] In 2007, she was awarded the American Bar Association's Margaret Brent Award for outstanding women lawyers who have achieved professional excellence and paved the way for other women in the legal profession.[3]
Irma S. Raker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senior Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals[1] | |
| Assumed office April 24, 2008[1] | |
| Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals from the 7th Appellate Judicial Circuit (Montgomery County)[1] | |
| In office January 7, 1994 – April 24, 2008[1] | |
| Appointed by | William D. Schaefer |
| Preceded by | John F. McAuliffe |
| Succeeded by | Mary Ellen Barbera |
| Associate Judge of the Montgomery County Circuit Court (6th Judicial Circuit)[1] | |
| In office February 3, 1982 – December 1993[1] | |
| Associate Judge of the Montgomery County District Court (6th District)[1] | |
| In office March 21, 1980 – February 2, 1982[1] | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Irma Steinberg April 28, 1938 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse | Samuel K. Raker |
| Education | Syracuse University (B.A.) Hague Academy of International Law American University (J.D.)[1] |
She was born Irma Steinberg in Brooklyn, New York, and attended local schools including Midwood High School.[1] She graduated from Syracuse University in 1959 and studied at The Hague Academy of International Law.[1]
Steinberg interrupted her education to marry Samuel K. Raker and oversee the early development of their three children.[1] She then returned to her studies, earning a J.D. degree from the American University in Washington, D.C. in 1972. She was admitted to the Maryland bar the next year.[1]
Raker served as an Assistant State's Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland from 1973 to 1979.[1] Judge Raker took the bench when she was appointed a trial judge in Maryland's District Court of Maryland and then the Circuit Court for Montgomery County.[1] She served in a number of increasingly responsible judicial positions until Governor Schaefer appointed her to the Maryland Court of Appeals, the state's highest court.[1] She became a Senior Judge in 2008 and currently sits by designation.[1]
Judge Raker currently serves as the Chairperson of the Maryland Access to Justice Commission.[1] She is actively engaged in private mediation and arbitration.[1]
