of having questions reserved shall not, however, apply to trials
of appeals from judgments of Justices of the Peace, nor to
criminal cases below the grade of felony, except when the
punishment is confinement in the penitentiary; and this sec-
tion shall be subject to such provisions as may hereafter be
made by law.

SEC. 23. The judges of the respective Circuit Courts of
this State and of the courts of Baltimore city, shall render
their decisions in all cases argued before them, or submitted
for their judgment, within two months after the same shall
have been so argued or submitted.

SEC. 24. The salary of each Chief Judge and of the Judge
of the Court of Appeals from the city of Baltimore shall be
three thousand five hundred dollars, and of each Associate
Judge of the Circuit Court shall be two thousand eight hundred
dollars per annum, payable quarterly, and shall not be di-
minished during his continuance in office.****

SEC. 25. There shall be a Clerk of the Circuit Court for
each county, who shall be elected by a plurality of the quali-
fied voters of said county, and shall hold his office for six
years from the time of his election, and until his successor is
elected and qualified, and be re-eligible, subject to be removed
for wilful neglect of duty or other misdemeanor in office, on
conviction, in a court of law. 1 In case of a vacancy in the office
of Clerk of a Circuit Court, the Judges of said court shall have
power to fill such vacancy until the general election for Dele-
gates to the General Assembly, to be held next thereafter,
when a successor shall be elected for the term of six years'

SEC. 26. The said clerks shall appoint, subject to the con-
firmation of the judges of their respective courts, as many
deputies under them as the said judges shall deem necessary
to perform, together with themselves, the duties of the said
office, who shall be removable by the said judges for incom-
petency, or neglect of duty, and whose compensation shall be
according to existing or future provisions of the General
Assembly.

Part IV—Courts of Baltimore City.

SEC. 27. There shall be in the Eighth Judicial Circuit six
courts, to be styled the Supreme Bench of Baltimore city, the

**** By the Act of 1927, Chapter 235, the salary of the Chief Judges was increased to eleven
thousand five hundred dollars, and each Associate Judge to eight thousand five hundred
dollars.

1 Amended by Article XVII, Section 1.
2 Cf. Supra.