Appellate Court of Maryland

Appellate Court of Maryland
Established1966
LocationAnnapolis, Maryland, United States
Composition methodAppointment by the Governor of Maryland
Authorised byMd. Courts and Judicial Proceedings Code Ann. § 1-401
Number of positions15
Chief Judge
CurrentlyE. Gregory Wells
SinceApril 15, 2022

The Appellate Court of Maryland is the intermediate appellate court for the U.S. state of Maryland. The Appellate Court of Maryland was created in 1966 in response to the rapidly growing caseload in the Supreme Court of Maryland. Like the state's highest court, the tribunal meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in the state capital, Annapolis.

The Appellate Court of Maryland originally could hear only criminal cases. However, its jurisdiction has expanded so that it now considers any reviewable judgment, decree, order, or other action of the circuit and orphans’ courts, unless otherwise provided by law. Judges sitting on the Appellate Court of Maryland generally hear and decide cases in panels of three. In some instances, however, all 15 judges may listen to a case, known as an en banc hearing.

A ballot proposal in the 2022 general election asked Maryland voters whether to change the court's name from the Maryland Court of Special Appeals to the Appellate Court of Maryland.[1] The measure was approved by 74.2% of voters on November 8, 2022.[2][3] It changed to this name on December 14, 2022.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

  1. ^ Lash, Steve (April 7, 2021). "Md. voters will vote on name change for appeals courts". The Daily Record. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  2. ^ Munro, Dana; Opilo, Emily (November 9, 2022). "Maryland to require legislators to live in their districts; state will rename its high court". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "Election Day was a "Namechanger": Voters Successfully Rename Maryland's Appellate Courts". November 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Lash, Steve (November 29, 2022). "Maryland's appellate courts will get new names Dec. 14". The Daily Record. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  5. ^ "Voter-approved constitutional change renames high courts to Supreme and Appellate Court of Maryland | Maryland Courts". www.courts.state.md.us.
  6. ^ "Maryland Appellate Court Opinions | Maryland Courts". www.mdcourts.gov.
  7. ^ "Renaming Maryland's Appellate Courts". judicature.duke.edu. June 21, 2023.
  8. ^ Courts, Maryland Voters Approved a Constitutional Amendment Renaming Two Appellate. "Maryland Voters Approved a Constitutional Amendment Renaming Two Appellate Courts". Franklin & Prokopik, P.C.
  9. ^ Staff, CBS Baltimore (December 14, 2022). "The Court of Appeals of Maryland is now the Supreme Court of Maryland - CBS Baltimore". www.cbsnews.com.