Maryland Courts
In Maryland, courts are responsible for settling all kinds of legal disputes between individuals, organizations, and other entities in the state. The judicial branch works alongside the executive and legislative branches to ensure law and order in the state. The Maryland State Court System consists of four levels of courts, including two appellate and two trial courts. The trial courts hear and decide different kinds of cases presented for judgment. Their rulings are based on evidence, facts, the law, and prior higher court decisions. Trial courts in the State of Maryland include the District Court and the Circuit Courts.
The District Court exercises jurisdiction over civil cases with claims of not more than $5,000. It shares jurisdiction with the Circuit Courts on civil case claims over $5,000 but not more than $30,000. It also shares jurisdiction with Circuit Courts on criminal cases with penalties of more than 3-year terms or a monetary fine of $2,500 and above. It can also handle certain felonies but does not conduct jury trials. There are 33 District Court locations across the counties in Maryland, grouped into 12 districts. Baltimore City and every other county are presided over by at least one District Court judge.
The Circuit Courts in the State of Maryland are referred to as the trial courts of general jurisdiction. They usually hear and decide on major and more serious criminal and civil cases. Maryland Circuit Courts hear appeals from the District Court, Orphans' Courts, and other administrative agencies. They may decide cases either by the judge alone or by juries. Circuit Courts are split into eight judicial circuits. The City of Baltimore and each of the 23 counties in Maryland have a Circuit Court, each with its own clerk's office.
Appellate courts in the State of Maryland review and decide appeals from the trial courts. They mostly do not conduct new hearings or hold trials. Instead, they consider appeals to ensure that the trial courts' decisions are correct according to the law and legal precedent. The two types of appellate courts in Maryland are the Court of Special Appeals and the Court of Appeals.
The intermediate appellate court in the State of Maryland is the Court of Special Appeals. Founded in 1966, the court was termed "Special" because initially, it handled only criminal cases. The Court of Special Appeals hears appeals from the Circuit Courts. Cases are heard and decided by a panel of three judges. In some cases, all the 15 judges of the court gather together (en banc) to hear a case. When a case is appealed from the Court of Special Appeals, it is sent to the Court of Appeals.
The Court of Appeals is the highest court in the State of Maryland. It reserves the right to decide whether or not to hear an appeal. This ability is known as certiorari. The Chief Judge and six other judges hear cases in the Court of Appeals. A judge may decide to excuse themself from a case's judgment and may be replaced by another judge or a retired appellate judge.
Apart from these courts mentioned above, there are other judicial bodies in the state. They include the Orphan's Courts and the Office of Administrative Hearings. These courts treat special cases as assigned to them by the law. There are also federal courts with jurisdiction over federal cases and matters pertaining to federal law and the federal judiciary. Each court has an administrative office that maintains Maryland court records generated during each proceeding,
What is the Maryland Court of Appeals?
The Maryland Court of Appeals was established in 1776 and is the highest court in the State of Maryland. The Court is located in Roberts C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in Annapolis, the State Capital. It is a discretionary appellate court in that it has the right to decide which cases to hear and decide. Justices in the Court of Appeals consist of one Chief Judge and six associate judges. They are usually selected by the appointment of the Governor of Maryland to 10-year terms.
What is the Maryland Court of Special Appeals?
The Maryland Court of Special Appeals is the appellate court of general jurisdiction at the intermediate level. It hears and decides appeals from the Circuit Courts. It has 15 judges, and at least one of the judges must come from each of the seven geographic appellate circuits in the state. Judges of this court are appointed by the Governor of Maryland to 10-year terms and may serve until age 70.
Maryland Circuit Courts
The Maryland Circuit Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction. They have jurisdiction over criminal cases such as felonies with certain exceptions. They also hold jury trials where applicable. Judges are selected via general elections to 15-year terms and may serve till the age of 70.
Maryland District Court
The Maryland District Court is a trial court of limited jurisdiction. It has locations in each of the counties in the State of Maryland. It is mostly called by the name of the county in which it is located. An example is the District Court of Allegany County. Some of the civil cases that the District Court hears include domestic violence cases, landlord/tenant cases, and cases involving the recovery of goods claimed to be wrongfully taken (replevin). The District Court also decides criminal cases including motor vehicle/boating violations and other misdemeanors. Cases appealed from the District Court are mostly heard by the Circuit Courts with few exceptions where the appellate courts decide the appeals.
Maryland Orphans’ Court
The Maryland Orphans’ Court oversees the management of the estates of dead people who own properties to their sole names whether they leave wills or not. It has jurisdiction over the conduct of personal representatives and can also supervise the guardianship of such properties. In certain counties, the court may appoint the guardians of minors. There are usually three Orphans’ Court judges in the City of Baltimore and each of the counties in the State. Appeals from the Orphans’ Court goes to either the Circuit Courts or the Court of Special Appeals as the case may be.
Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings
The Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) handles appeals regarding the decisions of executive branch administrative agencies unless otherwise exempted by the law. Such appeals to the OAH are decided by the Administrative Law Judge in an impartial review while having the appellant in attendance. The Administrative Law judges are based in the Baltimore area but may still hear cases from all around the state.
What are Appeals and Court Limits?
An appeal is an application for a higher court to review the decision of a lower court. Appeals are filed by parties who do not find the decisions of courts satisfactory in their cases. A party who files an appeal usually does so in a document written to the appellate court, which finally decides the case. The brief may provide legal reasons to persuade the appellate court to reverse the decision in favor of the appellant.
The Court of Special Appeals decides cases that are appealed from the Circuit and Orphans' Courts. The court decides cases via a panel of three judges, one of which authors the court's decision in a written format. Sometimes, appeals are decided by the full court consisting of all fifteen judges of the court.
In any situation where the Court of Special Appeals' decisions are not satisfactory, they may be appealed to the Court of Appeals. This is the last level of appeal, as the Court of Appeals is the highest court in Maryland. The Court of Appeals has the right to choose whether to attend to an appeal or not. However, they are compelled by the law under certain conditions to hear and decide on some cases.
How Do I Find My Case Number in Maryland?
A case number is a unique number used to identify a court case. The case number’s uniqueness helps make a court record distinct from another, no matter how similar other details seem. To find the case number of a case in Maryland, the requester may contact the court where the case is filed. Most times, it is the courthouse clerk that keeps the information about a case in the court. Hence, the clerk may locate a case file especially when provided with other details such as the name of parties, attorneys, etc.
For the contact information of the different clerks of state courts in Maryland, requesters may refer to the Court Directory provided on the Maryland State Courts' official website. Alternatively, case numbers may be obtained via the Case Search facility provided by the Maryland State Judiciary. Interested persons may obtain case numbers by searching for case records via the Name Search option.
The case number is part of the available information, which may be displayed about a case when obtained by name search. Case numbers may consist of some crucial information about a case, which includes:
- The case type
- Year of filing
- Officer assigned to the case
Does Maryland Hold Remote Court Trials?
As provided by Maryland Rule 2-802, the state's trial courts have the legal permission to hold remote trials. Judges at the District and Circuit Courts may decide whether the remote proceedings are on evidentiary or non-evidentiary matters. However, the remote proceedings must be held under some stipulated guidelines as provided by the law. Some of the guidelines are as follows:
- Though other options may be explored, Zoom for Government is the preferred platform for remote hearings by Maryland's trial courts.
- Any platform the trial courts may use for remote hearings must have the following features:
- Role-based user security
- Encryption for the court proceedings
- Password protection
- A means of confidential communication between clients and their attorneys
- The Judiciary records the remote hearings. This may serve as the official court recording.
- Recordings by persons other than the designated court personnel are strictly prohibited.
- Remote proceedings must follow the same standards as traditional courtroom hearings unless the Judicial Officer directs otherwise.
- Maryland Court Rules must be adhered to while conducting all remote court trials.
- The Judicial Officer may decide to delay or postpone a remote proceeding if there are technical difficulties that may lead to the trial's disruption. Examples of such technical challenges include audio and video issues and network glitches. As an alternative, the Judicial Officer may decide to require in-person appearance from the parties involved.
- Any party who cannot participate in remote proceedings is expected to report to the court as promptly as possible.
