Former U.S. Rep. Frank M. Kratovil Jr. may not have gotten a more Democrat-friendly district in which to attempt a return to Congress, but he's received a consolation prize in the form of a judgeship.
Gov. Martin O"Malley announced Wednesday that he has appointed Kratovil, who served a single term in Congress after scratching out a narrow victory over then-state Sen. Andrew Harris in 2008, to the District Court in Queen Anne's County.
Kratovil, 43, whose voting record in Congress was well to the right of the typical Democrat, was nevertheless defeated by Harris in a 2010 rematch as the district swung back to its Republican leanings. For a time, the state's leading Democrats toyed with the idea of making Harris' 1st District their prime target in redistricting for the 2012 elections, but eventually the settled on a plan that gives Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett's Sixth District a Democratic advantage.
Before winning election to Congress, Kratovil served as state's attorney in Queen Anne's from 2002 to 2009. The 1994 graduate of the University of Baltimore Law School had previously served as a prosecutor in Queen Anne's and Prince George's counties.
Kratovil, who was recommended by the county's judicial nominations committee, replaces Judge John T. Clark III, who retired. District Court judges earn a salary of $127,252.
District Court, which handles such matters as traffic cases and domestic-violence protective orders, could be seen as a comedown for an official who once trod the halls of Congress, but it is frequently a springboard to appointment to the Circuit Court. Unlike Circuit Court judges, District Court appointees do not have to stand for election.