J. Frederick Motz

J. Frederick Motz (December 30, 1942 – October 23, 2023) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. He served as judge on that court from 1985 to his death. His previous experience included a range of positions as an Assistant United States Attorney and United States Attorney, and more than a decade in private practice. He was also chairman of the board of Trustees for Sheppard Pratt Health System. Education and career Born on December 30, 1942, in Baltimore, Maryland, Motz received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Wesleyan University in 1964 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1967. He served as a law clerk to Judge Harrison Lee Winter of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1967 to 1968. He was in private practice in Baltimore from 1968 to 1969. He was an Assistant United States Attorney of the District of Maryland from 1969 to 1971. He was in private practice in Baltimore from 1971 to 1981. He was the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland from 1981 to 1985. His wife, Diana Gribbon Motz, sits on the Fourth Circuit. Federal judicial service On April 23, 1985, Motz was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a new seat on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland created by 98 Stat. 333. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 11, 1985, and received his commission on July 12, 1985. He served as Chief Judge from 1994 to 2001. He took senior status on December 17, 2010. Notable cases In 1999, Motz ruled against Ida Wells, a former secretary for the Democratic National Committee, who had sued G. Gordon Liddy for defamation. Liddy, a White House 'plumber' for President Richard Nixon, had endorsed a theory in the book Silent Coup (1991), in Liddy's first major public statement about the Watergate case after his four and a half year prison sentence. The book argued White House counsel John Dean had orchestrated the Watergate break-in to find and conceal evidence that his then-girlfriend had been involved in prostitution, and some of the evidence was secreted in Wells' desk. Motz declared a mistrial, stating no "reasonable jury" could have ruled in favor of Wells.