ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Wes Moore today announced appointments to the District 4 Trial Courts Judicial Nominating Commission representing Harford County. Rebecca Fleming will serve as chair.

“Our state trial courts are charged with issuing clear judgments, unclouded by fear or favor and rooted in fact, law, and precedent. The Judicial Nominating Commission for Harford County plays a key role in ensuring that those we elevate to the bench will uphold that standard,” said Gov. Moore. “I thank these thirteen distinguished Marylanders for raising their hands to serve. Their contributions will bring us one step closer to realizing the promise of equal justice under law.”

There are sixteen Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commissions established by executive order. The commissions advertise judicial vacancies; seek recommendations for judicial candidates from their own membership, bar associations, and members of the general public; set closing dates for the submission of judicial applications; and evaluate applicants based on a variety of factors including their integrity, temperament, legal knowledge, and professional experience.

Governor Moore’s 13 appointees include: 

Rebecca Fleming, Chair
Rebecca Fleming is a partner with Turnbull, Nicholson & Sanders. She is an accomplished litigator with experience in family law, personal injury, and insurance defense. Fleming is a certified mediator. She served on the State Board of Law Examiners Character Committee and is a founding member of the Riveters Law Club. She also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Law where she teaches family law. 

Fleming earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Wilber W. Bolton
Wilber Bolton has been a solo practitioner in Harford County for the past 45 years. He has a general practice that focuses on criminal law, child custody, family law, bankruptcy law and estate planning. He represented the Harford County Department of Social Services for 26 years handling child welfare matters, served on the board of directors of the Greater Bel Air Community Foundation, Inc., and has been an active member of the Harford County Bar Association since 1980. 

Bolton earned his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Jeremy B. Brooks
Jeremy Brooks has been the Assistant State’s Attorney for Harford County since 2019 and has been assigned to the violent crime unit since 2023. Previously, Bolton served as an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law and spent six years as a law clerk for various firms and government agencies. He is an active member of the Howard County Bar Association.

Brooks earned his J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Rajiv K. Goel
Rajiv K. Goel is the deputy director of the Office of Economic Development for Harford County. Prior to joining county government, he worked as an associate with Offit Kurman, P.A. and with the Law Office of Weitzel, Nomiki, Bouloubassis in their estates and trust divisions. For more than 20 years, he provided counsel for business owners, retirees, and families with their estate planning needs. 

Goel earned his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Luz Virginia Lopez
Luz Lopez is a retired attorney, previously serving as a senior trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, where she worked for more than 14 years serving in several departments including the Civil Rights Division, the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section, the Voting Section, and the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section. She also served as an assistant public defender in Ohio from 1995-2000. 

Lopez earned her J.D. from Ohio State University Drinko College of Law.

Toi Monique Mason
Toi Mason has served as an attorney advisor in the business law division of the Aberdeen Proving Ground Army Materiel Command Legal Center for the past two years. She also served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Maryland and served as a prosecutor in both Harford County and Baltimore City. 

Mason earned her J.D. from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Eric E. McLauchlin
Eric McLauchlin is a member of Pessin Katz Law and has been practicing in Harford County for more than 25 years. Prior to joining PK Law, he worked as a partner with Shaffer, McLaughlin & Stover, where he handled business law and estate planning. McLauchlin served on the board of directors of the Northeastern Maryland Technology Council and the Harford County Public Library Foundation, Inc. He also served as a member of the Harford County Base Realignment and Closure Planning and Advisory Commission. 

McLauchlin obtained his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Carlton J. Moss, Jr.
Carlton J. Moss, Jr. has been a solo practitioner in Harford County for the past 20 years, focused on personal injury law. Moss serves on the board of the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra, is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and is a strong supporter of the Boy and Girl Scouts. 

Moss is a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy and he earned his J.D. from the North Carolina Central University School of Law.

Kimberly H. Neal
Kimberly Neal serves as General Counsel for Harford County Public Schools. Prior to joining the school system, she was the chief legal officer of the Children’s Guild, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides educational and psychological services to children and families. She previously worked as a business litigation attorney with Pessin Katz Law and was a business and insurance defense attorney with Niles, Barton & Wilmer, LLP. 

Neal earned her J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Samantha Rodier
Samantha Rodier has been practicing family law in Harford County for the past 18 years. She is an active member of the Maryland State Bar Association and served as chair of the Family Law Section for the past year. Previously, Rodier served as a law clerk for The Honorable William O. Carr, Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court for Harford County. 

Rodier earned her J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

James D. Thornton
James D. Thornton is a community leader and retired business executive with more than 38 years of corporate experience. Thornton has served on a number of local boards including the Harford County Planning Advisory Board, the Harford County Board of Education, the Harford County Liquor Control Board, Fund for Educational Excellence, Praising Through Recovery, Hosanna Community House, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. He is the founder and previous president of the Harford County Caucus of African American Leaders, and previously served on the Judicial Nominating Commission from 2015-2023.

Erin K. Voss
Erin K. Voss is the managing partner of Nagle & Zaller, P.C. She has a general practice that focuses on contract law, personal injury matters, community association law and general civil litigation. She is also a founder of Anchor Athletics, Inc. and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Voss previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable John C. Eldridge, Maryland Court of Appeals. 

Voss earned her J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Ashley J. Ward
Ashley J. Ward has worked as a domestic litigation attorney and lead litigator with Cordell Law, LLP for the past 8 years. Prior to joining Cordell Law, she worked as an associate with Simmons, Fields & Fanshaw, P.A. as an insurance defense litigator. She is president-elect of the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Angelia M. Eaves, Circuit Court for Harford County. 

Ward earned her J.D. from the William and Mary Law School.