CIRCUIT COURT STATEWIDE FILINGS AND TERMINATIONS FISCAL YEAR 2021
FILINGS
TERMINATIONS
Total Civil General
35,788
37,219
Total Civil Family
66,091
66,353
Total Juvenile
6,491
6,753
Total Criminal
38,141
32,127
TOTAL
146,511
142,452
Circuit Courts generally handle the more serious criminal cases, major civil cases, including juvenile and other family law cases such as divorce, custody, and child support, and as well as most cases appealed from the District Court, Orphans’ Court, and certain administrative agencies. Circuit Courts also hear domestic violence cases. Each county and Baltimore City has a Circuit Court. Cases in Circuit Courts may be decided by either a judge or a jury, but jury trials are held only in the circuit courts.
DISTRICT COURT STATEWIDE MOTOR VEHICLE, CRIMINAL, CIVIL, LANDLORD- TENANT FILINGS AND TERMINATIONS FISCAL YEAR 2021
FILINGS
TERMINATIONS
Motor Vehicle 1
338,595
306,163
Criminal 2
96,735
116,026
Civil 3
229,317
159,573
Landlord-Tenant*, **
318,827
318,827
TOTAL
983,474
900,589
1. Includes DWI, serious and non-serious traffic cases by incident (including cases prepaid before trial), as well as parking/red light requests for trial, Natural Resources citations, and Maryland Transit Administration citations. 2. Criminal filings include fugitive warrants. 3. Civil case filings are comprised of the following categories of filings: civil complaints; domestic violence; peace order; possession; miscellaneous petitions; aids of execution; municipal infractions; civil citations; emergency evaluations; forfeitures of contraband; and injunctions. * Landlord-tenant filings are used as a proxy for terminations in the totals for District Court. Given the paper-only process used in most locations and quick processing of landlord-tenant cases, we assume that all matters are concluded. ** Includes landlord-tenant terminations The District Court is the venue in which most people experience the court system in Maryland. Cases heard here include motor vehicle (traffic) and natural resources violations and other misdemeanors and specified felonies, domestic violence, and peace order petitions, landlord-tenant disputes, small claims and other civil cases involving limited dollar amounts and replevin (recovery of wrongfully taken or detained goods). Each county and Baltimore City has a least one District Court location. A case in the District Court is tried before a judge only; there are no jury trials in District Court.
56 | Maryland Judiciary
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