As your State’s Attorney, I pledge to:
- Be a strong advocate for fair and just prosecution
- Promote effective strategies that deter juvenile delinquency
- Work with our law enforcement partners to help combat the opioid epidemic
Rich H. Gibson, Jr.
State’s Attorney for Howard County
Richard H. Gibson, Jr. made history on January 7, 2019, when he was sworn in as the first Black State’s Attorney for Howard County, Maryland. He was re-elected in 2022 and began his second term on January 3, 2023.
A native of New York, Gibson did not initially envision a career in law. His path changed when he worked under a prominent Maryland judge and discovered that serving as a criminal prosecutor would allow him to amplify the voices of victims, bring underrepresented experiences into the courtroom, and positively influence the community he called home.
Gibson earned a Bachelor of Science in Law and Justice from The College of New Jersey in 1998, then went on to Howard University School of Law. While at Howard, he served as an associate editor for the Social Justice Law Review and participated in both the Street Law and Howard Law mentoring programs. He received his Juris Doctor in 2003, passed both the New Jersey and Maryland Bar Examinations, and was admitted to practice law in both states.
His legal career began in 2003 as a law clerk for the Honorable Herman C. Dawson of the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County. After completing his clerkship, Gibson joined the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, where he handled cases in District, Juvenile, and Circuit Courts. He also served as coordinator for the Juvenile Drug Court.
In 2006, Gibson continued his prosecutorial career with the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office. He served in the General Trial Unit and was quickly promoted to the Firearms Investigations Violence Enforcement Unit, where he prosecuted non-fatal shootings. In 2007, he joined the Homicide Unit, spending five years prosecuting murder cases in one of the nation’s most challenging jurisdictions.
In 2012, Gibson was selected for the elite Major Investigations Unit, where he led strategies targeting the individuals who posed the greatest risk to public safety. His success in prosecuting violent offenders earned him recognition from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Gang Investigators Network as “Prosecutor of the Year” in 2016. That same year, he was promoted to Team Captain of the unit, supervising a team of trial attorneys focused on violent repeat offenders.
Gibson has held numerous leadership roles in the legal community. He has served as Co-Chair of the Maryland State Bar Association’s Membership Committee, President of the Waring Mitchell Law Society, and a Maryland Bar Foundation Fellow. He is a member of the James Macgill American Inn of Court, a former board member of the Columbia Democratic Club and Voices for Children, and a former member of the Howard County Democratic Central Committee.
His work has earned multiple honors, including the Criminal Justice Reform Award from the Maryland Emerging Leaders PAC (2018) and the J. Joseph Curran, Jr. Public Service Award from the Maryland Bar Foundation (2025). In 2021, he was elected President of the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association (MSAA) and re-elected in 2023. Governor Larry Hogan appointed him to the Maryland Cease Fire Council in 2022. In 2023, he became Vice-Chair of the Police Training and Standards Commission (PTSC) and the Maryland representative to the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA). He also serves as President of the Maryland chapter of the National Black Prosecutors Association (NBPA).
Gibson resides in Ellicott City with his wife, Dr. Carissa Guishard-Gibson, an internal medicine physician. They are the proud parents of three children.
