Judges, and shall respectively hold a
term of their courts at least twice in each
year, or oftener if required by law, in
each county composing their respective
circuits; and the said courts shall be
called Circuit Courts for the county in
which they may be held, and shall have
and exercise in the several counties of
this State, all the power, authority 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 respec-
tive circuits, shall have and exercise all
the power, authority and jurisdiction of
the present Court of Chancery of Mary-
land; Provided, nevertheless, that Balti-
more county court may hold its sittings
within the limits of the city of Balti-
more, 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 election, and shall reside
therein while they continue to act as
judges; they shall be taken from among
those who having the other qualifica-
tions herein prescribed, are most distin-
guished for integrity, wisdom and sound
legal knowledge, and shall be elected by
the qualified voters of the said circuits,
and shall hold their offices for the term
of ten years, removable for misbehav-
iour, on conviction in a court of law or
by the Governor, upon the address of
the General Assembly, provided that
two-thirds of the members of each
House shall concur in such address, and
430
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the said judges shall each receive a sal-
ary of two thousand dollars a year, and
the same shall not be increased or dimin-
ished during the time of their continu-
ance in office; and no judge of any
court in this State, shall receive any per-
quisite, fee, commission 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 jurisdic-
tion in all suits where the debt or dam-
age claimed shall be over one hundred
dollars, and shall not exceed five hun-
dred dollars; and shall, also, have juris-
diction 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 estab-
lished, for the city of Baltimore, 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, he or they shall be allowed or
adjudged to pay costs in the discretion
of the court. The said court shall also
have jurisdiction as a court of equity
within the limits of the said city, and in
all other civil cases which have not been
heretofore assigned to the court of
common pleas.
Sec. 12. Each of the said two courts
shall consist of one judge, who shall be
elected by the legal and qualified voters
of the said city, and shall hold his office
for the term of ten years, subject to the
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