98 [7 8 O p . A tt ’y CO URTS AND J UDG ES C ONSTI TUTI ONAL L A W
— P UB L I C O FFI CE RS AN D E MP LOYEES
— S ERVICE B Y D I STRI CT C O U RT J UDGE O N I NTERMEDI ATE S ANCTI ONS P OL I CY B OARD

J anuary27, 1993

T h e H o n o ra b le Fra n k

M. Kra to v il D istric t C o u rt fo r P rin c e G e o rg e ’s C o u n ty
Y o u h a v e r e q u e s t e d o u ro p i n i o n whe t h e rt h e M a r y l and C on st i tuti on precl ud es a D i stri ctC ou rtj ud g e from ser ving as a m e m b e r o f

th e In ter m e d iate S a n c tio n s P o lic y B o a r d , an e n tity cr eat ed byPr i nce G eor ge’ s C ount y t o devel op pol i cygui del i nes for p r e t r i a l r e l e a s e a n d i n t e r m e d i a t e s e n t e n c i n g i n t h e c o u n t y. For t he r eas ons s t at ed bel ow , w e concl u de thatt he M ary l and C ons t i tut i on does notpr ecl ude a D i s t r i ctC our tj udge fr om s er vi ng a s a m e m b e r o f

th e In te rm e d ia te S a n c tio n s P o lic yB o a rd

.

I T he P ol i cy B oard In Ju ly1 9 9 2 , the C o u n tyC o u n c il o f P rin c e G e o rg e ’s C o u n ty ena ct ed l egi s l at i on t o es t abl i s h t he I nt er m edi at e Sanct i ons Pol i cy Bo a r d

. T h e Bo a r d c o mp r i s e s f i v e v o t i n g me mb e r s , i n c l u d i n g t wo ju d g e s, o n e f

ro m th e C irc u it C o u rt a n d o n e f ro m th e D istric t C o u rt.G en. 98] 99

Th efull t e xt of

thi s su bs e c tio n is a s f

oll ow s: 1 The Intermediate Sanctions Policy Boa rd shall consist of five (5) voting members. They shall be (1) a judge of

the Circuit Court for Prince Ge org e ’s County

to b ede signate d b y

theCounty Administrative Judg e; (2) a judgeof the District Courto f M ar yl an d f o r P ri n c eG e o rg e ’ s C o unty designated by

the Administrative J u dg e; (3) the State’s Attorney

for PrinceGeorg e’s County or the State’s Attorne y ’s designee, ( 4) a me mber of the County

Council designated by

the Chairman of the Council, and ( 5) th e C o unty Ex ecutive or the County

Ex ecutive’ s designee. The B oard also has threeex officio nonvoting members. §7-196(b)

. We assume that the S tate publi c officer s designated to ser ve on the Boa rd are willing t o d o so. Wi th respec t to judges, Canon 4B (2) of the Maryland Code of Ju dicial Conduct authorizes a judg e to “se rve on g overnme ntal advisory bodies devoted to the improvement of thelaw, the leg al s y stem or the a dministration of justice ....”Acc ording ly , we ne ed not and do no t a dd

re ss t he County ’s a

uth ority to re qu ir e su c h se rv ic e of State of fi c e rs . §7- 196( a) of the Pr i nce G eor ge’ s C ount y C ode. T he B oar d has t he 1 f o llo w in g p u rp o se a n d d u ties :

(a ) T h e p u rp o se o f th e I n ter m e d iate Sanct i ons Pol i cyB oard s hal l be t o devel op pol i cyguideli nes forpr etr i al r el eas e and i n t e r m e d i a t e s e n t e n c i n g i n t h e c o u n t y. ( b) T he B oar d s hal l advi s e the D i r ect orof th e D e p a rtm e n t o f

C o rre c tio n s in sp e c if ic p o lic ya re a s d e a lin g w ith p re -t ri a l r e le a s e . ( c) T he B oar d s hal l d et er m i ne the s cope a n d o b j e c t i v e s o f

t h e p r e - tr i a l r e l e a s e p r o g r a m. (d ) T h e B o a rd sh a ll rec o m m e n d w a y s in w hich t he pu bli c i m age an d p ub l i c aw areness of t he pr e- t r i al r elea s e pr ogr am m aybe enhanc ed.100 [7 8 O p . A tt ’y ( e) T he B oar d s hal l form ul at e a pol i cyof s cr eeni ng cr i t er i a forpr e- t r i al r el eas e pr ogr am p a rt ic ip a n ts
. (f ) T h e B o a rd sh a ll ev a lu a te d a ta to det er m i ne the ef

fec ti venes s of the pr etr i al re le a s e p ro g ra m .
II

A rt i cl e 35 A r t i cl e 35 of t he D ecl ar at i on of R i ght s pr ovi des t hat“no p e rso n sh a ll h o ld , at th e sa m e ti m e , m o re th a n o n e o f f ice o f p ro f it, cr eat ed byt he C ons t i tut i on orL aw s of thi s St at e . . . . ” T he posi t i on of D i s t r i ctC our tj udge, i s of cour s e, an off i ce of pr ofi t
. T he pos i t i on of m ember of t he I nt er m edi at e Pol i cySanct i ons B oar d, how ever , i s not
. Sect i on 7- 196( d) of the Pr i nce G eorg e’s C ount y C ode pr ovi des t hat“[a ] l l m ember s of the B oar d s hal l s er ve w i t houtaddi t i onal m onet arycompensa t i on”

) t hati s , compensa t i on b e y o n d th a t o f

th e p o s itio n s a lr e a d yh e ld b yth e B o a rd m e m b e rs . A n uncompensa t ed pos i t i on cannotbe an “ offi ce of pr ofi t ” for p u rp o se s o f

A rticle 3 5 . T h e re f

o re , A rticle 3 5 d o e s n o t b a r a p u b lic offi cer fr om s i m ul t aneous s er vi ce on t he I nt er m ediate Sanct i ons P o lic yB o a rd

.
III A rt i cl e 33 A r t i cl e 33 of t he D ecl ar at i on of R i ght s cont ai ns a s epar at e and m or e br oadl yw or ded r es t r i ct i on on t he hol di ng of otherpos i t i ons by j udges : “N o J udge s hal l h o ld an y ot heroffi ce, ci vi l orm i l i t ary , or pol i t i cal t rus t , orempl oy m entof anyki nd, w hatso ev er, undert he C ons t i tut i on orl aw s of thi s St at e . . . . ”G en. 98] 101

By contra st to Article 35, a p o sition that is an “of fice ” come s 2 within Article 33 even if it is uncompensated; it need not be a n “off ice of profi t .” A . “O f f i ce” T he fi r s t i s s ue under A r t i cl e 33 i s w hetherm ember s hi p on t he I nt er m edi at e Sanct i ons Pol i cyB oar d i s an “of fi ce. ” I n appl y i ng t he t er m “off

i ce” i n A r t i cl e 33, w e us e the s ame cr it eri a as have be en devel op ed overt he y ear s fordet er m i ni ng w hethera pos i t i on i s an “ o f f ic e ” f o r p u rp o s e s o f

A rt ic le 3 5

. See 60 O

pi ni ons of

the At t or ney G ener al121, 126 ( 1975)

. Pr i oropi ni o n s of thi s offi ce ha ve 2 su m m a riz e d th e se c riter ia a s f o llo w s: ( 1) Th e p o s i t i o n was c r e a t e d b y l a w and i nv olves conti nu i ng and no t occasi on al du t i es. (2 ) T h e h o ld e r p e rf

o rm s a n im p o r tan t p u b lic d u t y. ( 3) T he pos i t i on cal l s fort he exe r ci s e for s om e por t i on of the s over ei gn pow er of t he S ta te
. ( 4) T he pos i t i on has a def i ni t e t er m for w hi ch a c om m i s s i on i s i s s ued and a bond and a n o a th a re re q u ir e d

. ( 5) T he pos i t i on i s o n e o f di gni t yand im p o rt a n c e . 72 O pi ni ons of

the At t or ney G ener al271, 272 ( 1987) ; 59 O pi ni ons of the At t or ney G ener al1 5 4 , 1 5 6 (1 9 7 4 ). See B oa rd of Supe rvisors o f E le c tio n s v . A tto r n e

y G e n e r a l, 246 M d. 417, 439, 229 A

. 2d 388, 230 A

. 2d 61 ( 1967)

. O f thes e cr i t er i a, “the s i ngl e m o sti m por t ant char act er i s t i c of a publ i c off i ceri s t hatt he ‘ publ i c s er vant exer ci s e[s ] i n his o w n ri ghts om e of the s over ei gn pow er s of governm entfort he bene fit o f the publ i c. ’ ” 68 O pi ni ons of

the A t t or ney G ener al358, 361 ( 1983) ( quot i ng D u n c a n v . K o u ste n is , 2 6 0 M d . 9 8 , 1 0 5 , 2 7 1 A .2 d 5 4 7 (1 9 7 0 ))

.102 [7 8 O p . A tt ’y I n ourvi ew , m ember s of the I nt er m edi at e Sanct i ons Po li cy B oar d do nothol d an “of fi ce. ” E xcept for one non-vot i ng at t or ney me mb e r , t h e me mb e r s o f t h e Bo a r d d o n o ts e r v e d e f i n i t e t e r ms . No comm i s s i on i s i s s ued, no bond i s pos ted, and no oath i s r equi r ed. M os t i m por t ant l y , t he mem ber s of the B oar d exer ci s e no s over ei gn pow er i n t hei row n r i ght

. T hei rr ol e i s es s ent i al l yone of pr es ent i ng pol i cyr ecomm endat i ons and eva l uat i ng t he w ayi n w hi ch al t ernat i ve s a n c tio n s p ro g ra m s a re f u n c tio n in g . B . “ P o litica l T

ru st” T h e term “p o li ti ca l trust ” is syn o n ym o u s w ith the term “off i ce. ” 65 O

pi ni ons of the A t t or ney G ener al285, 287 ( 1980)

. O ur concl us i on i s t he same, t her efor e, w i t h r es pectt o t hi s component of A rt icl e 33 : M em b ersh ip on the Interm ed iat e S an cti o n s P o li cyB o ard i s nota pos i t i on of “pol i t i cal t rus t , ” bec aus e the cr i t er i a of an off i ce a re n o t m e t. C . “ P o litica l .. . E mp lo

y m e n t” T he t er m “empl oym ent ” r efe r s t o “an act i vi t yengage d i n for purpos es of gai n or pr ofi t
. ” 65 O pi ni ons of

the At t or ney G ener alat 288; 63 O

pi ni ons of

the At t or ney G ener al1 0 6 , 1 1 1 -12 (19 7 8 ). B eca us e the pos i t i on of B oar d m em b er i s uncompensa t ed, a j udge do es notengage i n pr ohi bi t ed “e m pl oy m ent ” bys er vi ng on t he B o a rd

.
IV C oncl usi on I n s um m ary , i ti s ouropi ni on t hata D i s t r i ctC o u rt jud g e may s er ve on t he P r i nce G eor ge’ s C ount yI nt er m edi at e Sanct i ons Pol i cy B o a rd

. J. Jo sep h C u rran , Jr. A t t or ney G ener al Ja c k S c h w a rtz C hi ef C ouns el O pi ni ons & Advi ce