| Honorific-Prefix: | Honorable |
| Joseph F. Murphy Jr. | |
| Office: | Judge of the Supreme Court of Maryland |
| Term Start: | 2007 |
| Term End: | 2011 |
| Appointer: | Martin O'Malley |
| Predecessor: | Alan M. Wilner |
| Successor: | Robert N. McDonald |
| Office2: | Chief Judge of the Appellate Court of Maryland |
| Term Start2: | 1996 |
| Term End2: | 2007 |
| Appointer2: | Parris Glendening |
| Office3: | Judge of the Appellate Court of Maryland |
| Term Start3: | 1993 |
| Term End3: | 1996 |
| Appointer3: | William Donald Schaefer |
| Successor3: | Roslyn Blake Bell |
| Office4: | Associate Judge of the Baltimore County Circuit Court |
| Term Start4: | 1984 |
| Term End4: | 1993 |
| Appointer4: | Harry R. Hughes |
| Birth Date: | January 9, 1944 |
| Birth Place: | Fitchburg, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Timonium, Maryland, U.S. |
Joseph F. Murphy Jr. (January 9, 1944 – July 28, 2022) was an American lawyer and jurist from Baltimore, Maryland. Between December 17, 2007, and September 30, 2011, he was a judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, the highest court in Maryland. Prior to this appointment, Murphy served as the Chief Judge of the Court of Special Appeals, Maryland's intermediate court of appeals.[1] He was also an instructor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.[2]
Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts on January 9, 1944, Murphy attended St. Bernard's High School, Fitchburg; Boston College, A.B., 1965; and University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., 1969. He was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1969. Murphy practiced law as a staff attorney for Legal Aid then as an Assistant State's Attorney, Baltimore City from 1970 to 1975, then as Deputy State's Attorney for Baltimore City from 1975 to 1976. After leaving the office of the State's attorney, he was a named partner at the Towson law firm of White & Murphy.[3]
Upon his retirement from the bench, Judge Murphy joined the Baltimore-based law firm of Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin & White, where he served as litigation support, and headed the firm's Alternative Dispute Resolution practice. Judge Murphy's daughter is currently an attorney in the firm's appellate litigation division.[4] On December 22, 2011, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley announced his appointment of Robert N. ("Bob") McDonald, the Chief Counsel of Opinions and Advice for the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, to the Court of Appeals replacing Judge Murphy.[5]
Judge Murphy died on July 27, 2022, at the age of 78 after suffering from cancer.[6] [7]
| Maryland Court of Appeals Judges by Seniority | ||
|---|---|---|
| Circuit | Name | |
| 6 | Chief Judge Robert M. Bell | |
| 4 | Judge Glenn T. Harrell Jr. | |
| 3 | Judge Lynne A. Battaglia | |
| 5 | Judge Clayton Greene Jr. | |
| 2 | Judge Joseph F. Murphy Jr. | |
| 1 | Judge Sally D. Adkins | |
| 7 | Judge Mary Ellen Barbera | |