promote brevity and conciseness in all pleadings and pro-
ceedings therein, and to abolish all unnecessary costs and
expenses attending the same. And all rules and regula-
tions hereby directed to be made, shall, when made. have
the force of Law, until rescinded, changed, or modified by
the said Judges, or the General Assembly.

(1)SEC. 18A. The Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals
shall be the administrative head of the judicial system of
the State. He shall from time to time require, from each
of the judges of the Circuit Courts for the several counties
and of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City, reports as
to the judicial work and business of each of the judges and
their respective courts. He may, in case of a vacancy or
of illness, disqualification or other absence of one or more
judges of the Court of Appeals, designate any judge of any
of the Circuit Courts for the counties or of the Supreme
Bench of Baltimore City to sit in any case or for a speci-
fied period as a judge of the Court of Appeals in lieu of a
judge of that court, and may designate, to sit as a judge
of the Circuit Court for any county or of any Court or
Courts of Baltimore City, either alone or with one or more
other judges, in any case or for a specified period, any
judge of the Court of Appeals or of any other Circuit
Court or of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City. In the
absence of the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals the
provisions of this Section shall be applicable to the senior
judge present. The powers of the Chief Judge under the
aforegoing provisions of this section shall be subject to
such rules and regulations, if any, as the Court of Appeals
may make. The Court of Appeals from time to time shall
make rules and regulations to regulate and revise the prac-
tice and procedure in that Court and in the other courts
of this State, which shall have the force of law until re-
scinded, changed or modified by the Court of Appeals or
otherwise by law. The power of the courts other than the
Court of Appeals to make rules of practice and procedure
shall be subject to the rules and regulations prescribed by
the Court of Appeals or otherwise by law.

Part III—Circuit Courts.

SEC. 19. The State shall be divided into eight Judicial
Circuits, in manner following, viz.: The Counties of Wor-
cester, Somerset, and Dorchester(2), shall constitute the First

(1) Thus amended by Chapter 772, Acts of 1943, ratified November 7, 1944.
(2) Wicomico County has been formed since the adoption of this Constitution from
Worcester and Somerset Counties. Section 5 of Article 13 of this Constitution puts
it in the First Judicial Circuit.