George M. Lipman

The Honorable George M. Lipman Legal Champion for People with Mental Illness The Honorable George McQuade Lipman, of Baltimore, died on August 3, 2026, at the age of 76, surrounded by family while on vacation in Western Maryland. George’s career-long focus on the treatment of persons suffering from behavioral health issues in the justice system is widely regarded as the catalyst for numerous statewide reforms to protect the mentally ill. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 10, 1949, George was the only child of George S. Lipman, MD, and Mary McQuade Lipman. Growing up in Pittsburgh's Oakland and Fox Chapel neighborhoods, he attended the Cathedral School. One of his proudest accomplishments was serving as Student Body President of Central Catholic High School, where he was also on the swim team. In 1967, George moved to Baltimore to attend Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. While in college, he attended the Woodstock Music Festival and protested the Vietnam War. After working at Legal Aid in Baltimore City from 1971 to 1973, he attended the University of Maryland School of Law from 1973 to 1976, then clerked for Judge Robert L. Karwacki of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Following a stint at a prominent plaintiff's firm, George launched his career in public service at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, where, in 1979, he was appointed Chief Attorney of the Mental Health Division. In this role, he focused on fighting the death penalty in Maryland and testifying before the General Assembly in Annapolis. He also served on the Governor's Task Force to Review the Defense of Insanity and the Commission on the Future of the Maryland Courts. George married the love of his life, Susan, in 1980. In 1998, he was appointed as Associate Judge of the District Court for Baltimore City. He served as Presiding Judge of the Mental Health Court from 2008 to 2018 and held numerous judicial leadership positions. He chaired the Maryland Judicial Council’s Mental Health, Alcoholism, and Addiction Committee; served on its Mental Health Oversight Committee; and served as vice-chair of the Specialty Courts and Dockets Committee. After retiring in 2018, Judge Lipman continued to sit as a senior judge across the state. His work was formally honored by the Maryland Bar Foundation with the Legal Excellence Award for the Advancement of the Rights of the Disadvantaged in 2018. He also received the MSBA Criminal Law Section’s prestigious Robert C. Heeney Award, and he received the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association’s Presidential Award in 1993 and 1998. A passionate teacher, he served as an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore for many years and mentored numerous young attorneys. Beyond his many professional accomplishments, George was a diehard Ravens and Orioles fan, an avid golfer, a music lover, and a wood craftsman. He even became an amateur cook following his appointment to the bench. Uncommonly selfless, warm, and sensitive to the foibles of others, George never uttered an ill word about anyone, his family recalls. Above all, George's number one priority was his family. He would drop everything to attend to their needs, and he never put himself first. George is survived by his wife, Susan Steigner; his children, Michael Lipman and his wife Nicole Herr Lipman, Rachel Leach, and Robert Lipman; and his grandchildren, Claire Leach, Margot Lipman, and Charlie Lipman. A funeral will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 22, at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, 5200 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21210, followed by a Celebration of Life from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Penguin Room, 3300 Clipper Mill Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21211. Interment will take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, August 24, at St. Mary's Cemetery, 233 Homeland Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21212. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Honorable George M. Lipman '76 Memorial Fund, which supports work in mental health law at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.https://www.givecampus.com/schools/UniversityofMarylandBaltimore/the-honorable-george-m-lipman-76-memorial-fund Arrangements by Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home.

George M. Lipman

October 10, 1949 - August 3, 2026