Article IV
apply to tnals of Appeals from judgments of the
Distnct Court, nor to criminal cases below the
grade of felony, except when the punishment is
confinement in the Penitentiary, and this Section
shall be subject to such provisions as may hereaf-
ter 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 each Associate Judge of the Circuit Court
shall not be diminished dunng his continuance in
office
SEC. 25.^ There shall be a Clerk of the Cir-
cuit Court for each County, who shall be elected
by a plurality of the qualified voters of said
County, and shall hold his office for four years
from the time of his election, and until his succes-
sor 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 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 Delegates to the General
Assembly, to be held next thereafter, when a suc-
cessor shall be elected for the term of four years
SEC. 26."" The Clerks shall appoint, subject
to the confirmation of the Judges of their respec-
tive Courts, as many deputies under them, as the
Judges shall deem necessary, to perform, together
with themselves, the duties of the office, who
shall be removable by the Judges for incompeten-
cy, or neglect of duty, and whose compensation
shall be according to existing, or future
provisions of the General Assembly In Washing-
ton County, all deputy clerks and other clerks
shall be appointed pursuant to and be removable
according to the ment system procedure
established by law for these deputies and clerks
All deputy clerks and other employees of the of-
fice of the Clerk of the Criminal Court of
Baltimore City, excepting the Clerk, shall be se-
lected pursuant, to and be removable according to
'" Thus amended by Chapter 99, Acts of 1956, ratified No-
vember 6,1956
"' Thus amended by Chapter 99, Acts of 1956, ratified No-
vember 6,1956
"' Thus amended by Chapter 889, Acts of 1974, ratified
November 5,1974

Constitution of Maryland/821
the ment system procedure established by law for
these deputies and clerks Any employee of the
office of the Clerk of the Criminal Court of
Baltimore who has been employed for at least six
months on July 1, 1974 shall be a member of the
classified service of the State
Part IV— Courts of Baltimore City.
SEC. 27. There shall be in the Eighth Judi-
cial Circuit, six Courts, to be styled the Su-
preme Bench of Baltimore City, the Supenor
Court of Baltimore City, the Court of Com-
mon Pleas, the Baltimore City Court, the Cir-
cuit Court of Baltimore City^° and the Crimi-
nal Court '"
SEC. 28.'" The Supenor Court of Baltimore
City, the Court of Common Pleas, and the
Baltimore City Court shall each have concurrent
junsdiction in all civil common Law cases, and
concurrently, all the jurisdiction which the Supe-
nor Court of Baltimore City and the Court of
Common Pleas now have, except junsdiction in
Equity, and except in applications for the benefit
of the Insolvent Laws of Maryland, and in cases
of Appeal from judgments of the Distnct Court
in said City, whether civil or cnminal, or ansing
under the ordinances of the Mayor and Qty
Council of Baltimore, of all of which appeal cases
the Baltimore City Court shall have exclusive ju-
nsdiction, and the said Court of Common Pleas
shall have exclusive junsdiction in all applications
for the benefit of the Insolvent Laws of Mary-
land, and the supervision and control of the
Trustees thereof
SEC. 29. The Circuit Court of Baltimore City
shall have exclusive Junsdiction in Equity within
the limits of said city, and all such junsdiction as
the present Circuit Court of Baltimore City has,
provided, the said Court shall not have junsdiction
in applications for the wnt of habeas corpus in cases
of persons charged with cnminal offenses
SEC. 30. The Cnminal Court of Baltimore
shall have and exercise all the Junsdiction, now
held and exercised by the Cnminal Court of
Baltimore, except in such appeal cases as are
herein assigned to the Baltimore City Court
'" Circuit Court No 2 established by Chapter 194, Acts of
1888
"' Cnminal Court No 2 established by rule of the Supreme
Bench, December 21, 1897 See Jackson v State, 87 Md 191 of
Baltimore
'" Thus amended by Chapter 681, Acts of 1977, ratified No-
vember 7,1978