Divorce lawyers say jurist is biased

A domestic-relations jurist in Howard County is drawing criticism from lawyers who say she discriminates against husbands and fathers in divorce and child-custody cases.

Nancy L. Haslinger is one of two domestic-relations masters in the Howard County Circuit Court who handle about 2,000 domestic and juvenile cases a year.

“Her disposition and point of view is that a man is incapable of raising a child,” said Joseph Fleischmann II, a lawyer in Ellicott City and one of the few people willing to talk on the record.

Female attorneys who have represented male clients in Mrs. Haslinger’s court are criticizing the domestic-relations master, too.

“Some women attorneys [also] will not take men clients into her court,” said one female lawyer. Another said women lawyers have chosen to represent only female clients before Mrs. Haslinger.

A 1986 graduate of the University of Baltimore’s law school, Mrs. Haslinger, 55, practiced domestic law until her businesspartner died and the four Circuit Court judges selected her as master of chancery in 1994.

A master is an officer of the court who is assigned cases for adjudication and has limited judicial authority.

News reports published at the time of her appointment state she had been a psychiatric social worker and legislative aide and was selected from 60 applicants. The reports also stated she was the first woman to be appointed to the Howard County judiciary.

“I don’t think I’ll be biased in one direction or the other,” she was quoted in the Baltimore Sun as saying at the time of her appointment.

Some lawyers now disagree.

“There is absolutely no question that she is biased,” said Allen Kruger, 57, a lawyer in Laurel in Prince George’s County. “My experience is that she clearly favors women in custodial disputes and that she clearly does not favor joint or shared physical custody.”

However, Mr. Kruger said Mrs. Haslinger was “competent in all other aspects.”

“Her reputation until two or three years ago was certainly that,” said another attorney. “I’ve noticed a major change in recent years.”

Despite such criticism, Mrs. Haslinger has supporters.

Story Continues →