Nicholas Palazzo
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Gov. Larry Hogan has appointed a local lawyer to fill the vacant spot on the Court of Special Appeals.
Hogan appointed Terrance Mark Ranko Zic, who is an equity partner at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston. Zic will replace Judge Alexander Wright Jr., who retired.
Zic was selected out of nine possible nominees that included a mix of lawyers and judges handpicked by Hogan. However, some had been chosen as pool candidates, applicants that had been suggested through the Maryland Judicial Nominating Commission. Zic had been one of the governor’s initial choices.
The Court of Special Appeals reviews cases where a request to overturn the ruling of a previous hearing is granted. It is brought to a panel of judges who have the power to review the judgment of the past verdict, only if these cases are deemed “special.”
“The appointment of qualified individuals to serve across our state’s justice system is paramount to upholding our responsibilities to Maryland and the rule of law,” Hogan said.
Zic graduated from Loyola College with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree and earned his law degree at Georgetown University Law Center. He served as a clerk for the Honorable Robert C. Murphy, the chief judge of the Court of Appeals.