--- title: "Karla N. Smith | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/karla-n-smith-md-circuit-montgomery" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Karla N. Smith Circuit Court for Montgomery · Judge ## Profile - Court: Circuit Court for Montgomery - State: Maryland - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## 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 ### remote proceedings Scope: statewide Maryland trial courts may conduct remote electronic proceedings when authorized by rule, and the court may permit or require participants to appear by remote electronic communications. Evidence excerpt: the court may permit or require one or more participants, or all participants, to join the proceeding by means of remote electronic communications. [Remote Hearings and Proceedings](https://www.mdcourts.gov/remotehearings) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote recording Scope: statewide For Maryland remote proceedings, the required recording is made by the court, and participants should not make their own audio or video recording unless the court permits it. Evidence excerpt: Proceedings conducted via videoconferencing technology must be recorded by the court [Remote Hearings and Proceedings](https://www.mdcourts.gov/remotehearings) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### electronic devices Scope: statewide Maryland permits electronic devices in court facilities only in accordance with court rules and orders; attorneys may use devices reasonably for a proceeding if silent, positioned away from the trier of fact or witnesses, not used for recording, and not used for unauthorized communication. Evidence excerpt: attorneys are permitted the reasonable and lawful use of an electronic device in connection with the proceeding provided that [NOTICE Cell Phones, Other Electronic Devices, and Cameras in Court Facilities](https://www.mdcourts.gov/reference/cellphonenotice) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### photography video recording Scope: statewide Maryland prohibits taking, recording, or transmitting photographs, videos, or other visual images in court facilities unless the court expressly grants permission in a specific instance. Evidence excerpt: The taking, recording, or transmitting of photographs, videos, or other visual images by cell phone or any other device is prohibited in the court facility at all times [NOTICE Cell Phones, Other Electronic Devices, and Cameras in Court Facilities](https://www.mdcourts.gov/reference/cellphonenotice) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/hr/pdfs/judges_list_external.pdf) - [Official roster](https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/hr/pdfs/judges_list_external.pdf) - [Maryland Judiciary official judicial roster](https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/hr/pdfs/judges_list_external.pdf) - [Remote Hearings and Proceedings](https://www.mdcourts.gov/remotehearings) - [NOTICE Cell Phones, Other Electronic Devices, and Cameras in Court Facilities](https://www.mdcourts.gov/reference/cellphonenotice) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/karla-n-smith-md-circuit-montgomery", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/karla-n-smith-md-circuit-montgomery", "name": "Karla N. 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Smith", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/karla-n-smith-md-circuit-montgomery" } ] } ] } ``` ## Biography ### Professional career - She was the first African-American woman appointed to Maryland's Montgomery County District Court in 2012 and has held the role of an associate judge on the Circuit Court since 2015 - Judge Karla Natasha Smith, born on December 19, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, is a prominent American jurist serving as the administrative judge for the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, a role she assumed on March 14, 2026, following the retirement of Judge James A. Bonifant - Began her prosecutorial career as an assistant state's attorney in Montgomery County (1996–1997), Prince George's County (1997–2000), and again in Montgomery County (2000–2007), where she became chief of the family violence division (2007–2012),. ### Education - B.S. in government and politics from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1991 and her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1995. ### Additional information - She was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1995 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1997. - Early in her career, she served as a staff assistant for U.S. Representative Major R. Owens and as a coordinator for the Supreme Court Assistance Project at the Public Citizen Litigation Group - As administrative judge, Smith oversees court administration, budgeting, procurement, and trial-calendar management, ensuring efficient case processing in one of Maryland’s busiest judicial jurisdictions. ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Remote Hearings and Proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8d7f2b6c1b52f4889f91cdbe) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.mdcourts.gov/remotehearings). Collected 2026-07-26. - [NOTICE Cell Phones, Other Electronic Devices, and Cameras in Court Facilities](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-9a7f81ce806c87a1ae6dac48) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.mdcourts.gov/reference/cellphonenotice). Collected 2026-07-26.