Robert I. H. Hammerman
Encyclopedia
Robert I. H. Hammerman was an American judge. He served as an associate judge of the Supreme Bench in the city of Baltimore
, Maryland from 1967 to 1982, an associate judge of the Baltimore City Circuit Court
, 8th Judicial Circuit from 1983 to 1998 and its chief judge
, from 1984 to 1998. He retired July 17, 1998 and died by suicide in November, 2004.
(a high school) and went on to graduate cum laude from the Johns Hopkins University
, with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in 1950. Hammerman was accepted to and graduated from the Harvard Law School
(at Harvard University
) with his Juris Doctor
(J.D.) in 1953. He was admitted to Maryland Bar the same year and throughout his career was an active member of the American
, Maryland State, and Baltimore City Bar Association
s and the American Judicature Society
. He first took his oath as an associate judge on the bench of the Baltimore City Municipal Court on May 1, 1961. He joined the circuit court bench in May 1967, where he eventually served as chief judge from May 1984 until July 1998, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. He had been Maryland's longest serving judge to that point. After his retirement, Hammerman continued on the bench as a senior judge, working full-time but limited by law to pay for only 120 days of service per year.
and a stickler for detail. Lawyers who showed up even one minute late for court were often verbally reprimanded or fined. Early in his judicial career, Hammerman was the primary judge for juvenile offenders
. He presided over the Juvenile Court
for eight years, bringing it into compliance with a 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision guaranteeing the rights to counsel for juvenile defendants. He presided over several high-profile cases, including the child sexual abuse
case against John Joseph Merzbacher Jr., a lay
teacher sentenced to four life sentences
for repeated rape and sexual abuse
of one of his students in the 1970s at Catholic Community Middle School
in South Baltimore., a parochial school
under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
, an African American mayor of Baltimore City or Curt Anderson
who later became chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland
. Many early members shared a connection with City College, the city's elite academic high school from which Hammerman graduated in 1946, and many went on, like Hammerman, to Johns Hopkins University.
to the chest. The case was ruled a suicide because of, among other things, the letter that Hammerman had mailed the day before to more than 2000 people in and around Baltimore City. Many of those who received the letters were lawyers or his colleagues on the Bench, though most of the recipients were past and present members of his beloved Lancers club. In the letter he cited the fear of growing old with Alzheimer's
, a disease that had taken his mother for whom he had personally cared. Hammerman, however, had never been diagnosed with the disease.
"Some may say of me that it is an act of a coward," he wrote in his suicide note
. "So be it. It is so easy for one outside the ring to tell the fighter how to fight his fight."
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland from 1967 to 1982, an associate judge of the Baltimore City Circuit Court
Circuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
, 8th Judicial Circuit from 1983 to 1998 and its chief judge
Chief judge
Chief Judge is a title that can refer to the highest-ranking judge of a court that has more than one judge. The meaning and usage of the term vary from one court system to another...
, from 1984 to 1998. He retired July 17, 1998 and died by suicide in November, 2004.
Background
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, July 17, 1928, Judge Hammerman attended the Baltimore City CollegeBaltimore City College
The Baltimore City College , also referred to as The Castle on the Hill, historically as The College, and most commonly City, is a public high school in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. The City College curriculum includes the International Baccalaureate Programme and emphasizes study in the classics...
(a high school) and went on to graduate cum laude from the Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in 1950. Hammerman was accepted to and graduated from the Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
(at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
) with his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(J.D.) in 1953. He was admitted to Maryland Bar the same year and throughout his career was an active member of the American
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, Maryland State, and Baltimore City Bar Association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
s and the American Judicature Society
American Judicature Society
The American Judicature Society is an independent, nonpartisan, national organization of judges, lawyers, and interested members of the public whose mission is to improve the American justice system - to "secure and promote an independent and qualified judiciary and fair system of justice." ...
. He first took his oath as an associate judge on the bench of the Baltimore City Municipal Court on May 1, 1961. He joined the circuit court bench in May 1967, where he eventually served as chief judge from May 1984 until July 1998, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. He had been Maryland's longest serving judge to that point. After his retirement, Hammerman continued on the bench as a senior judge, working full-time but limited by law to pay for only 120 days of service per year.
Awards and honors
- Book of Golden Deeds Award, National Exchange ClubNational Exchange ClubThe National Exchange Club – a service organization with 700 clubs and more than 21,000 members throughout the United States and Puerto Rico – celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2011. The Exchange Club was officially started in 1911 as a national organization in Detroit, Michigan. Its second...
- Man of the Year, Hebrew Noble Ladies
- Honor Roll for Superior Public ServiceCivil serviceThe term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
, Afro-American
- Annual Award for Humanitarian Service, National Council of Jewish WomenNational Council of Jewish WomenThe National Council of Jewish Women defines itself as a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action...
- President, Har Sinai CongregationHar Sinai CongregationHar Sinai Congregation is a Reform Jewish synagogue located in Owings Mills, Maryland. Originally established in 1842 in Baltimore, it is the oldest congregation in the United States that has been affiliated with the Reform movement since its inception....
Brotherhood.
Judicial career
As a judge, Hammerman was known as a fair but tough sentencerSentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
and a stickler for detail. Lawyers who showed up even one minute late for court were often verbally reprimanded or fined. Early in his judicial career, Hammerman was the primary judge for juvenile offenders
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
. He presided over the Juvenile Court
Juvenile court
A juvenile court is a tribunal having special authority to try and pass judgments for crimes committed by children or adolescents who have not attained the age of majority...
for eight years, bringing it into compliance with a 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision guaranteeing the rights to counsel for juvenile defendants. He presided over several high-profile cases, including the child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
case against John Joseph Merzbacher Jr., a lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
teacher sentenced to four life sentences
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for repeated rape and sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
of one of his students in the 1970s at Catholic Community Middle School
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
in South Baltimore., a parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Civic activities
Hammerman never married nor had children but he had a strong commitment to the youth in Baltimore City. In 1952, he started a club for Jewish teenage boys called the Lancers. The club's activities included sports, cultural events and debates. Judge Hammerman scheduled guest speakers and set up community action projects for the group. The club eventually expanded into other areas of the city, bringing in non-Jews as well, some of whom went on to careers in public service, such as Kurt SchmokeKurt Schmoke
Kurt Lidell Schmoke is the Dean of the Howard University School of Law and a former mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. The son of Murray and Irene B. Reid , he attended the public schools of Baltimore...
, an African American mayor of Baltimore City or Curt Anderson
Curt Anderson
Curtis Stovall Anderson is an American politician, lawyer and former broadcast journalist. Anderson was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983, is the chairman of the Baltimore City Delegation, and past chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. After serving 12...
who later became chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland
Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland
The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly...
. Many early members shared a connection with City College, the city's elite academic high school from which Hammerman graduated in 1946, and many went on, like Hammerman, to Johns Hopkins University.
Suicide
On November 11, 2004, the body of Robert Hammerman was found outside his northwest Baltimore apartment, dead of an apparent self inflicted gunshot woundBallistic trauma
The term ballistic trauma refers to a form of physical trauma sustained from the discharge of arms or munitions. The most common forms of ballistic trauma stem from firearms used in armed conflicts, civilian sporting and recreational pursuits, and criminal activity.-Destructive effects:The degree...
to the chest. The case was ruled a suicide because of, among other things, the letter that Hammerman had mailed the day before to more than 2000 people in and around Baltimore City. Many of those who received the letters were lawyers or his colleagues on the Bench, though most of the recipients were past and present members of his beloved Lancers club. In the letter he cited the fear of growing old with Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, a disease that had taken his mother for whom he had personally cared. Hammerman, however, had never been diagnosed with the disease.
"Some may say of me that it is an act of a coward," he wrote in his suicide note
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
. "So be it. It is so easy for one outside the ring to tell the fighter how to fight his fight."