NJC Resources
Hon. Neil Edward Axel Receives 2016 Franklin N. Flaschner Award

Hon. Neil Edward Axel

RENO, Nev. – The National Judicial College’s faculty member Hon. Neil Edward Axel, District Court of Maryland (retired), has received the 2016 Franklin N. Flaschner Award.

The Flaschner Award is given to a judge who embodies the high ideals, personal character and competence in performing judicial duties that were exemplified by the late Chief Justice Franklin N. Flaschner of the District Court of Massachusetts. The award also honors one who has made significant contributions on local, state and national levels to continuing education of the judiciary and in other ways improved the quality of justice in courts with special and limited jurisdiction.

The honor is awarded by the National Conference of Specialized Court Judges of the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association. Judge Axel will officially be presented with the award at the ABA’s Annual Meeting, Aug. 5-6, in San Francisco.

Judge Axel served as the Associate Judge of the District Court of Maryland from 1997 until 2013 and continues to sit as a retired judge. His jurisdiction includes criminal misdemeanors, traffic and alcohol-related offenses, domestic violence and civil actions. Judge Axel also served as the Judge-In-Charge of Drug and DUI Treatment Court programs and served as the Co-Chair of Maryland’s Judicial Conference Committee on Problem Solving Courts from 2005 to 2012.

A member of the NJC since 2013, Judge Axel has been involved as coordinator and lecturer at numerous programs at the College. His topics included impaired driving, traffic court, substance abuse, sentencing and self-represented litigants.

In addition to his regular judicial duties, Judge Axel served for more than six years as the judge in charge of a Drug Treatment Court and DUI Court program. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Maryland’s Judicial Institute for the past 14 years. In 2005, Judge Axel was recognized by the Maryland State Bar Association as a recipient of the Judge Anselm Sodaro Judicial Civility Award, which is presented annually to one judge whose courtroom demeanor best exemplifies the highest ideals of civility and courtesy.

Judge Axel has been actively involved in ABA activities on state and local levels and in community non-profits such as the Maryland Special Olympics. He is a graduate of Syracuse University and The American University’s Washington College of Law. In 1999, he received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from his law school.

The National Judicial College (NJC) was founded in 1963 and is the nation’s leading provider of judicial education. The NJC offers more than 100 courses held onsite, online, and across the nation to improve judicial productivity, challenge current perceptions of justice and inspire judges to achieve judicial excellence.

Contact:
Brady Johnson
Marketing & Communications Manager
bradyjohnson@judges.org
Office: (775) 327-8253

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