--- title: "Brendan Abell Hurson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brendan-abell-hurson" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Brendan Abell Hurson U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland - State: Maryland - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - American lawyer and judge serving on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland since October 6, 2023 - Before this, he held the role of a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Maryland from February 7, 2022, to October 6, 2023 - Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland, 2007-2017, 2018-2022; assistant federal public defender, 2007-2014, 2018; senior litigation counsel, 2015-2017, 2019-2022 - Adjunct professor, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, 2011-2016 - Law clerk, Hon. Margaret B. Seymour, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, 2005-2006 ### Education - University of Maryland School of Law (now Francis King Carey School of Law) — J.D. (2005) - Providence College — B.A. (2000) ### Additional information - Nominated by President Joe Biden on March 21, 2023 to replace George J. Hazel, who resigned in February 2023. - Assistant federal public defender, U.S. Virgin Islands, 2017-2018 - Private practice, Baltimore, Maryland, 2006-2007 - Born 1977 in Washington, D.C.. - Before law school, Hurson served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in California and taught middle school at St. Thomas More School in Washington, D.C ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761061) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761061) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761061) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Judge Brendan Abell Hurson](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761061) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brendan-abell-hurson", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brendan-abell-hurson", "name": "Brendan Abell Hurson | KnowJudges", "description": "Brendan Abell Hurson, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brendan-abell-hurson#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brendan-abell-hurson#judge", "name": "Brendan Abell Hurson", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brendan-abell-hurson", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761061" ], "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Providence College" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Maryland School of Law (now Francis King Carey School of Law)" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Maryland", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/maryland" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Brendan Abell Hurson", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/brendan-abell-hurson" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 370 | 28 | 1.1 | 28 | | 2y | 655 | 165 | 2.2 | 165 | | 5y | 858 | 307 | 2.9 | 307 | | 10y | 858 | 307 | 2.9 | 307 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.