After serving 12 years as the Chief and Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County and Seventh Judicial Circuit of Maryland, the Honorable Sheila R. Tillerson Adams has retired.
Judge Adams was appointed to the bench of the District Court of Maryland in Prince George’s Count in 1993 by then Gov. William Donald Schaefer, becoming the first Black woman to do so. She would soon be promoted to the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as Chief and Administrative judge in Prince George’s County, and I hope, during my tenure, the residents in the County have benefitted from having a fair forum for justice that provides efficient and innovative services,” Judge Adams said in a statement released by the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County. “I have led the Court through floods and fires that damaged Court facilities and even through a pandemic, and I am proud to say that we always overcame, persevered and thrived together.”
Judge Adams was instrumental in developing Problem-Solving Courts, which were enlarged to help the people of Maryland with issues related to veterans assistance, substance abuse and incarceration. She also spent a majority of her career assisting survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault and trafficking by creating the Prince George’s County Family Justice Center (PGCFJC), an initiative serving County residents in need of aid during the pandemic.
“As the pandemic continued for nearly three years, Judge Adams led the way in enhancing the Court’s technological advancements and accessibility to the public. More hearings and trials were held virtually, and litigants were even able to access Zoom links via a website that provided all the information they needed to attend judicial proceedings. Health and safety protocols were maintained in the Courthouse for the protection of the staff and public that we serve,” according to a report in the AFRO American Newspaper.
Judge Adams is a Washington, D.C. native who graduated cum laude from Morgan State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She then went to the Howard School of Law where she was awarded a juris doctor degree and received a master of laws in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. She was admitted to the Maryland Bar and Federal Bar in 1983 and the Supreme Court in May 1992. She currently co-chairs the Law Links Committee of the Prince George’s County Bar Association and was the former president of the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and the Mount Rose Chapter of the Links, Inc.
