SEC. 30. The Criminal Court of Baltimore shall have
and exercise all the jurisdiction now held and exercised by
the Criminal Court of Baltimore, except in such appeal
cases as are herein assigned to the Baltimore City Court..

SEC. 31. There shall be elected by the legal and quali-
fied voters of said city, at the election, hereinbefore pro-
vided for, one Chief Judge and four Associate Judges, who,
together, shall constitute the Supreme Bench of Baltimore
City, and shall hold their offices for the term of fifteen
years, subject to the provisions of this Constitution with
regard to the election and qualifications of judges and their
removal from office, and shall exercise the jurisdiction, here-
inafter specified, and shall each receive an annual salary of
three thousand five hundred dollars 1 payable quarterly,
which shall not be diminished during their term of office;
but authority is hereby given to the Mayor and City Coun-
cil of Baltimore to pay to each of the said judges an annual
addition of five hundred dollars to their respective salaries;
provided, that the same being once granted shall not be
diminished nor increased during the continuance of said
judges in office..

SEC. 31A. In addition to the authority granted to the
Mayor and City Council of Baltimore by the preceding sec-
tion to pay to each of the judges of the Supreme Bench the
annual sum of Five Hundred Dollars, authority is hereby
given to said Mayor and City Council to pay to each of said
judges such further annual sum as an addition to their
respective salaries as the Mayor and City Council of Balti-
more shall from time to time deem right and proper, pro-
vided, that any such sum being once granted shall not be
diminished during the continuance of said judges in office. 2.

SEC. 32. It shall be the duty of the said Supreme Bench
of Baltimore City, as soon as the judges thereof shall be
elected and duly qualified, and from time to time, to pro-
vide for the holding of each of the aforesaid courts, by the
assignment of one or more of their number to each of the
said courts, who may sit either separately or together in
the trial of cases; and the said Supreme Bench of Balti-
more City may, from time to time, change the said assign-
ment, as circumstances may require, and the public interest
may demand; and .the judge or judges, so assigned to the
said several courts, shall, when holding the same, have all.

1 Set by Ch. 889 of 1945 at $9,500. See also Sections 31A and 39 of this
Article..

2 Sec. 31A adopted at the November election 1926, as proposed by Ch. 116,
Acts of 1934..