Frum Baltimore Judge Karen Friedman Appointed to Justice Department Post

Karen Friedman, a frum judge on the Baltimore City Circuit Court’s 8th Judicial Circuit, has been appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as director of criminal justice innovation, development and engagement at the Department of Justice, Jewish Insider reports.

Friedman, who also goes by the Hebrew name Chaya, was the first female Orthodox Jewish judge in Maryland. She has served on the circuit court since 2014 and will step down from the bench at the end of this year. Friedman was previously a district court judge in Baltimore, and before that served as a judge on the city’s Orphans’ Court.

The Brooklyn-born Friedman will start in the newly created position, which is housed in the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, on Jan. 3, 2022. The Jewish Insider

{Matzav.com}