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Remembering The Honorable John F. Fader, II
Even in “retirement,” Judge Fader’s commitment to the law never wavered. He served as a Senior Judge for over 20 years, continuing to settle cases and mentor younger generations of lawyers and jurists.
THE MARYLAND STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
MOURNS the loss of the Honorable John F. Fader, II, a titan of the state’s judiciary whose profound influence on family law and tireless dedication to the bench spanned more than four decades. Judge Fader passed away on January 22, 2026.
Born in Baltimore in 1941, John Fader II was the first in his family to attend college. His professional journey was unique, beginning not in a courtroom but in a pharmacy. He earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 1963. It was during this time that he discovered a passion for the law through a pharmacy-law course, leading him to enroll in the University of Maryland School of Law’s night program while continuing to work as a pharmacist on weekends.
After graduating and being admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1968, he practiced in Towson before being appointed to the District Court of Maryland in 1977. In 1982, Governor Harry Hughes appointed him to the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, where he served with distinction for 21 years, including a tenure as Chief Judge from 2002 until his official retirement in 2003.
Judge Fader was revered for his monumental contributions to family law. He was an original co-author of Maryland Family Law , which was eventually renamed Fader’s Maryland Family Law in his honor. His work earned him the Maryland State Bar Association’s prestigious Beverly A. Groner Family Law Award in 2003.
Even in “retirement,” Judge Fader’s commitment to the law never wavered. He served as a Senior Judge for over 20 years, continuing to settle cases and mentor younger generations of lawyers and jurists. His enduring impact was formally recognized as recently as 2024, when the Maryland Judicial Council awarded him the 2024 Senior Judge Award for his continued significant contributions to the judiciary.
Beyond his written work and his time on the bench, Judge Fader was a devoted educator. He served as adjunct faculty at both the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and the University of Baltimore School of Law. He was known for bringing real-world wisdom into the classroom, often joking that he was “hired to inject 26 years of experience on the bench to students.”
Maryland lost a brilliant legal mind and a compassionate public servant. As his colleagues often noted, he did not just practice law; he was truly “in love with a mistress known as the law,” constantly seeking to resolve matters with fairness and precision.