Appellate Court of Maryland

Judges

Appointment and qualifications

The fifteen judges of the Appellate Court of Maryland are appointed by the Governor of Maryland with Senate consent. They serve ten-year terms.

The Judges of the court are required to be citizens of and qualified voters in Maryland. Prior to their appointment, they must have resided in Maryland for at least five years, and for at least six months in the appellate judicial circuit from which they are appointed. They must be at least thirty years of age at the time of appointment, and must have been admitted to practice law in Maryland. Appointees should be "most distinguished for integrity, wisdom and sound legal knowledge."

After initial appointment by the Governor and confirmation by the Senate, members of the court, at the first general election occurring at least one year after their appointment, run for continuance in office on their records without opposition. If the voters reject the retention in office of a judge, or the vote is tied, the office becomes vacant. Otherwise, the incumbent judge is retained in office for a ten-year term. This requirement of voter approval is similar to provisions of the Missouri Plan, a non-partisan method for selecting judges which is used by 11 states.

There are eight at large judges and one judge from each of the state's seven Judicial Circuits; the latter are required to be a resident of his or her respective circuit. The circuits are currently as follows:

Current judges

References

References

1. "Maryland Rule 8-201: Method of Securing Review -- The Appellate Court".
2. (April 7, 2021). "Md. voters will vote on name change for appeals courts". [[Daily Record (Maryland).
3. (November 9, 2022). "Maryland to require legislators to live in their districts; state will rename its high court". [[The Baltimore Sun]].
4. (November 13, 2022). "Election Day was a "Namechanger": Voters Successfully Rename Maryland's Appellate Courts".
5. (November 29, 2022). "Maryland's appellate courts will get new names Dec. 14". [[The Daily Record (Maryland).
6. "Voter-approved constitutional change renames high courts to Supreme and Appellate Court of Maryland | Maryland Courts".
7. "Maryland Appellate Court Opinions | Maryland Courts".
8. (June 21, 2023). "Renaming Maryland's Appellate Courts".
9. Courts, Maryland Voters Approved a Constitutional Amendment Renaming Two Appellate. "Maryland Voters Approved a Constitutional Amendment Renaming Two Appellate Courts".
10. Staff, CBS Baltimore. (December 14, 2022). "The Court of Appeals of Maryland is now the Supreme Court of Maryland - CBS Baltimore".
11. "Judges of the Appellate Court of Maryland".