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State's Attorney · Talbot County · 2026 Primary
The State’s Attorney is the county’s lead prosecutor, responsible for managing the legal office that handles all criminal cases on behalf of the public. This official decides whether to bring formal charges against individuals, oversees criminal trials, and works with law enforcement to address local crime. Because they determine how laws are enforced and which cases are prioritized, this office significantly shapes public safety and the local justice system.
View all candidates in this raceJoseph Coale is the incumbent Republican State's Attorney for Talbot County, seeking re-election in 2026. He is running unopposed. An Eastern Shore native who grew up in Chestertown, he attended Washington College for his undergraduate degree and earned his law degree from Georgetown University. After graduating, he worked for two years in civil litigation in Washington, D.C. before pursuing criminal law as an assistant public defender in Montgomery County. He returned to the Eastern Shore in 2002, co-founding a law firm in Easton before serving as Deputy State's Attorney in Caroline and Talbot counties for over six years. He was elected State's Attorney in 2022 in a close race, succeeding Scott Patterson, who had held the office for over 35 years as the longest-serving State's Attorney in Maryland. As Deputy State's Attorney, he had overseen serious felony cases in Circuit Court, headed the Juvenile Court Division, and was actively involved in child abuse prosecutions and the Children's Advocacy Center. He is a member of the National District Attorneys Association, the Maryland State's Attorneys Association, and the Talbot County Bar Association, and has been involved in community service through CASA of the Mid-Shore and the Saint Michaels Farmer's Market.
I am humbled and honored to announce that the voters of Talbot County have chosen me to be their next State's Attorney.
I thank everyone for all the help I have received over the past 9 months.
I look forward to partnering with law enforcement and the courts to ensure that our criminal justice system is…
Criminal Justice
Partnering with law enforcement and the courts to ensure the criminal justice system functions properly.
“I look forward to partnering with law enforcement and the courts to ensure that our criminal justice system is…”
“I look forward to partnering with law enforcement and the courts to ensure that our criminal justice system is…”
Source“Local author and historian, Joseph Coale, wrote a profile detailing the history of the house located at the corner of L'Hirondelle Club and Ruxton Roads, as part of his efforts to gain a historical designation for the structure”
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