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and jurisdiction, which the county courts of this State now have,
and exercise, or which may hereafter be prescribed by law,
and the said judges in their respective circuits shall have and ex
ercise all the power, authority and jurisdiction of the present
Court of Chancery of Maryland; Provided, nevertheless that
Baltimore county court may hold its sittings within the limits of
the city of Baltimore, until provision shall be made by law for
the location of a county seat, within the limits of the said
county proper, and the erection of a court house and all other
appropriate buildings for the convenient administration, of justice
in said court.
SEC. 9. The judges of the several judicial circuits shall be
citizens of the United States, and shall have resided five years in
this State, and two years in the judicial circuit for which they
may be respectively elected, next before the time of their elec-
tion, and shalt reside therein, while they continue to act as
judges; they shall be taken from among those who, having the
other qualifications herein prescribed, are most distinguished for
integrity, wisdom and sound legal knowledge, and shall be elected
by qualified voters of the said circuits and shall hold their
offices for the term of ten years, removable for misbehaviour, on
conviction in any court of law, or by the Governor upon the ad
dress of the General Assembly; provided, that two-thirds of
the members of each House shall concur in such address; and
the said judges shall each receive a salary of two thousand dot--
Jars a year, and the same shall not be increased or diminished
during the time of their continuance in office; and no judge of
any court in this State, shall receive any perquisite, fee, com
mission or reward, in addition thereto, for the performance of any
judicial duty.
SEC. 10. There shall be established for the city of Baltimore,
one court of law, to be styled "The Court of Common Pleas,"
which shall have civil jurisdiction in all suits, where the debt
or damage claimed shall be over one hundred dollars, and shalE
not exceed five hundred dollars; and shall, also, have jurisdic
tion in all cases of appeal from the judgment of justices of the
peace in the said city, and shall have jurisdiction in all
applications for the benefit of the insolvent laws of this State,
and the supervision and control of the Trustees thereof.
SEC. 11. There shall also be established for the city of Bal
timore, another court of law to be styled the "Superior Court
of Baltimore city,'' which shall have jurisdiction over all suits
where the debt or damage claimed shall exceed the sum of
five hundred dollars, and in case any plaintiff or plaintiffs shall
recover less than the sum or value of five hundred dollars, lie,
or they, shall be allowed or adjudged to pay Costs in the dis
cretion of the court. The said conrt shall also have jurisdiction
as a court of equity within the limits of the said city, an d in all oth.
er civil cases which have not been heretofore assigned to the
court of common pleas.
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