Sharon V. Burrell is running for Maryland 6th Judicial Circuit Court Judge in Montgomery County in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The nonpartisan race has five seats to fill, and voters may choose up to five candidates, according to BallotReady election data.

Burrell has served as a judge on the 6th Judicial Circuit Court since 2008, according to BallotReady profile data. She is seeking reelection. The other certified candidates in the race are Catherine H. McQueen, James J. Dietrich and Victor M. Del Pino, all running as nonpartisan.

Candidate information

  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Birthplace: Washington, D.C. (1957)
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in English, Columbia University (1979); juris doctor, Harvard University (1982)
  • Bar admissions: District of Columbia Bar (1982); Maryland Bar (1984)
  • Recognition: Named to Maryland's Top 100 Women by the Daily Record in 2012, 2018 and 2021, according to the Maryland State Archives

Experience and public service

Burrell began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Harry A. Cole on the Maryland Court of Appeals from 1982 to 1983, according to BallotReady. She then worked as an associate at the law firm Cable, McDaniel, Bowie & Bond from 1983 to 1987.

She spent more than two decades as an associate county attorney for Montgomery County, serving from 1987 to 2008, before taking the bench in 2008, according to BallotReady. That county attorney role gave her extensive experience in local government law before her transition to the judiciary.

On the bench, Burrell has taken on leadership roles within Maryland's judicial system. She has served on the Judicial Council's Equal Justice Committee since 2020 and became chair of its Operations Subcommittee in 2023, according to the Maryland State Archives. She has also been a member of the Judicial Council's Judicial Ethics Committee since 2020 and joined its Education Committee in 2025.

Earlier in her career, Burrell served on the Inquiry Panel Committee of the Attorney Grievance Commission in 2000 and 2001, according to the Maryland State Archives. She was president of the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association in 2005 and 2006 and became a fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation in 2006.

Burrell also authored "Legal Malpractice of the Tax Attorney," published in The Tax Executive in 1982, according to the Maryland State Archives. She was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1982 and the Maryland Bar in 1984.

On the issues

The Bethesda Beacon did not receive issue responses from Burrell for this profile. Voters can find more information through the Montgomery County Board of Elections.

This profile was built from publicly available records reviewed by Bethesda Beacon producers, including BallotReady election data and the Maryland State Archives. The Beacon did not receive a candidate questionnaire response.