Maryland. Court of Special Appeals

By a constitutional amendment in 1966, the General Assembly created the Court of Special Appeals to act as an intermediate appellate court to ease a substantial backlog in the Court of Appeals. At first, the new court consisted of five judges, one from each of five appellate districts elected for fifteen-year terms. The Court heard appeals in all criminal cases except those in which the death penalty had been imposed.

Over the years, both the membership and jurisdiction of the Court have expanded. In 1970, the number of judges increased to nine, one each from the first five appellate districts, two from the sixth, and two from the state at large (Laws of 1970, ch. 99). The law also gave the Court jurisdiction in civil negligence cases, including those involving motor vehicle accidents and Workers' Compensation. The number of judges elected at large was increased to three, raising total membership to ten (Laws of 1972, ch. 361). Jurisdiction was enlarged further to include equity, orphan's court, and zoning issues.

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