The Court of Appeals of Maryland (Court) was created by the Constitution of 1776 and is the highest court in Maryland. Cases heard by the seven judges of the Court are, for the most part, selected through a discretionary review process. Petitions for certiorari come to the Court either before or after a case has been decided by the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland. For most cases, the Court grants those petitions for certiorari it deems to be desirable and in the public interest. The Court also adopts rules of judicial administration, practice, and procedure; admits persons to the practice of law; answers certified questions of law; and conducts disciplinary proceedings involving members of the bench and bar. The Court sets cases on its regular docket from September 1 to August 31, referred to as the “Term.” Petition docket cases are set from March 1 to February 28. The Court typically hears cases from September through June. There are two periods of time that are used to measure data collected in the Maryland courts, “Term” and “Fiscal Year”. The trial courts (District Court and the circuit courts) report data using the measurement of fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). To provide consistency in reporting, Court statistics are shown by fiscal year and by term. The case processing goals adopted by the Court provide that all cases argued or filed during a term are to be decided before the term’s completion. This goal is similar to that of the U.S. Supreme Court and is part of the Judiciary’s commitment to ensure timely adjudication for all those with business before the courts. The following tables provide a statistical depiction of the Court’s workload for Fiscal Year 2021 and for the 2020 Term (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2021). COURT OF APPEALS OF MARYLAND
Court of Appeals | 2021 Statistical Abstract
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