Important Information: Subject to the certification of the vote totals of the 2022 General Election, on December 14, 2022, the Governor is expected to issue a proclamation announcing that a majority of votes from the November 8 General Election were in favor of the constitutional amendment to change the names of Maryland’s two appellate courts. Upon the Governor signing the proclamation, the Court of Appeals of Maryland will be renamed the Supreme Court of Maryland, its judges will be renamed justices, and the Court of Special Appeals will be renamed the Appellate Court of Maryland.
Any brief or other paper filed in the Court of Appeals before 12:01 a.m. on December 14, 2022, shall be captioned in the Court of Appeals of Maryland. Any brief or other paper filed in the Court after 12:01 a.m. on December 14, 2022, shall be captioned in the Supreme Court of Maryland. Briefs and papers received after 12:01 a.m. on December 14 that are captioned in the Court of Appeals of Maryland will be received by the Clerk, but the filer will be required to file a corrected brief or paper captioned in the Supreme Court of Maryland.
The change occurring on December 14, 2022, is a change in name only. The precedents, Rules, and all other practices of the Court are unaffected by the change and will continue in force as the precedents, Rules, and practices of the Supreme Court of Maryland.
The Court of Special Appeals is posting a similar announcement on its webpage.
Administration of the Attorney Oath: The Attorney Oath will be administered by Zoom from the Court of Appeals Courtroom on Monday, December 12, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
For more information, please refer to the March 29, 2022, Third Amended Administrative Order on Administration of the Attorney Oath.
The Court of Appeals is the highest court in the State (commonly called the Supreme Court in other states and at the federal level). It hears cases almost exclusively by way of certiorari, a process which gives the court discretion to decide which cases to hear. However, the Court of Appeals is mandated by law to hear cases involving legislative redistricting, removal of certain officers, and certifications of questions of law.
The Chief Judge, Matthew J. Fader, sits on the Court along with six other judges. All seven judges hear oral arguments on each case unless a judge removes him/herself from a case; in this event, a judge from another court, or a retired appellate judge, may be specially assigned to sit in the place of the recused judge.