820/Maryland Manual
5A (c) and (d) of this article, applicable to judges
of that court, but in no event shall any judge
continue in office after his seventieth birthday
Pan III— Circuit Courts.
SEC. 19.'" The State shall be divided into
eight Judicial Circuits, in manner following, viz
The Counties of Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset,
and Dorchester, shall constitute the First Circuit,
the Counties of Caroline, Talbot, Queen Anne's,
Kent and Cecil, the Second, the Counties of
Baltimore and Harford, the Third, the Counties
of Allegany, Garrett, and Washington, the
Fourth, the Counties of Carroll, Howard and
Anne Arundel, the Fifth, the Counties of Mont-
gomery and Fredenck, the Sixth, the Counties of
Pnnce George's, Charles, Calvert, and St Mary's,
the Seventh, and Baltimore City, the Eighth
SEC. 20.'" A Court shall be held in each Coun-
ty of the State to be styled the Circuit Court for the
County, in which it may be held The said Circuit
Courts shall have and exercise, in the respective
counties, all the power, authority and jurisdiction,
onginal and appellate, which the present Circuit
Courts of this State now have and exercise, or
which may hereafter be prescribed by law
The several judges of the Circuit Courts for
Montgomery and Harford counties shall each, al-
tennately and in rotation and on schedules to be
established by those judges, sit as an Orphans'
Court for their County, and shall have and exercise
all the power, authority and jurisdiction which the
present Orphans' Courts now have and exercise, or
which may hereafter be prescribed by law
SEC. 21."* (a) Subject to the provisions of
subsection (b) the General Assembly shall deter-
mine by law the number of judges of the circuit
court in each county and circuit These judges
shall be selected in accordance with Sections 3
and 5 of this Article
(b) There shall be at least four circuit court
judges resident in each circuit, and at least one
circuit court judge shall be resident in each coun-
ty There shall be at least two such judges resi-
dent in Anne Arundel County, at least three resi-
dent in Baltimore County, at least four resident
'" Thus amended by Chapter 99, Acts of 1956, ratified
November 6,1956
'" Thus amended by Chapter 681, Acts of 1977, ratified No
vember7 1978
'" Thus amended by Chapter 542, Acts of 1976, ratified No-
vember 2,1976

Article IV
in Pnnce George's County, and at least five resi-
dent in Montgomery County
(c) The senior judge in length of service in each
circuit shall be the chief judge of the circuit The
other judges shall be associate judges
(d) Except as otherwise provided by law, one
judge shall constitute a quorum for the transac-
tion of any business
(e) The terms of the circuit courts shall be de-
termined by law
(f) A person is not ineligible for appointment
or election as a judge because he was a member
of the General Assembly at a time when the
number or salary of judges were increased or de-
creased
SEC.21A. "" If the amendments to sections 3
and 21 of Article IV proposed by House Bill 972,
Senate Bill 390 (1976) and the amendments to
those sections proposed by House Bill 1048
(1976) are ratified by the voters at the election in
November 1976, the amendments to those
sections proposed in House Bill 972, Senate Bill
390 (1976) shall take effect
SEC. 22."* Where any Term is held, or tnal
conducted by less than the whole number of said
Circuit Judges, upon the decision or determina-
tion of any point, or question, by the Court, it
shall be competent to the party, against whom
the ruling or decision is made, upon motion, to
have the point, or question reserved for the con-
sideration of the three Judges of the Circuit, who
shall constitute a court in bane for such purpose,
and the motion for such reservation shall be en-
tered of record, dunng the sitting, at which such
decision may be made, and the several Circuit
Courts shall regulate, by rules, the mode and
manner of presenting such points, or questions to
the court in bane, and the decision of the said
Court in bane shall be the effective decision in the
premises, and conclusive, as against the party, at
whose motion said points, or questions were re-
served, but such decision in bane shall not pre-
clude the right of Appeal, or wnt of error to the
adverse party, in those cases, civil or criminal, in
which appeal, or wnt of error to the Court of
Appeals may be allowed by Law The nght of
having questions reserved shall not, however,
'" Added by Chapter 542 Acts of 1976, ratified November 2,
1976
"' Thus amended by Chapter 681, Acts of 1977, ratified No-
vember 7,1978