District Court

nal jurisdiction within the State. Each has full
common law and equity powers and jurisdiction
in all civil and criminal cases within its county,
and all the additional powers and jurisdiction
conferred by the Constitution and by law, except
where by law jurisdiction has been limited or
conferred exclusively upon another tribunal.

There is a circuit court in each county of the
State, which is a trial court of general jurisdic-
tion. Its jurisdiction is very broad, but generally
it handles the major civil cases and the more seri-
ous criminal matters. The circuit courts may also
decide appeals from the District Court and from
certain administrative agencies.

These courts are grouped into eight geographi-
cal circuits. Each of the first seven circuits con-
tains two or more counties. The Eighth Judicial
Circuit consists of Baltimore City. Judges of that
circuit are appointed to the Supreme Bench of
Baltimore City. The Supreme Bench is composed
of six courts, each of which exercises a varying
degree of overlapping or separate jurisdiction in
relation to the others. Collectively, however, these
courts act as one circuit court.

Presently, there are ninety-seven Circuit Court
judges (twenty-three of them on the Supreme
Bench), with at least one judge for each county.
Unlike the other three levels of courts in Mary-
land, there is no chief judge for the Circuit Court.
Instead, eight circuit administrative judges
appointed by the chief judge of the Court of Ap-
peals perform administrative duties in each of
their respective circuits, with the aid of county
administrative judges.

Each circuit judge is initially appointed to of-
fice by the Governor and must stand for election
at the next general election following by at least
one year the vacancy the judge was appointed to
fill. The judge may be formally opposed by one
or more qualified members of the bar, with the
successful candidate being elected to a fifteen-year
term of office.

DISTRICT COURT OF MARYLAND

Chief Judge: Robert F. Sweeney, 1981

Courts of Appeal Building
Annapolis 21401 Telephone: 269-2412

Margaret Kostritsky, Chief Clerk

District Court Building
Rowe Blvd. & Taylor Avenue
Annapolis 21401 Telephone: 269-3486

Judiciary/385

District 1
Baltimore City—22 Judges

Edward F. Borgerding,
Administrative Judge 1983
Carl W. Bacharach 1989
Aaron A. Baer 1983
James L. Bundy 1984
Hilary D. Caplan 1986
Joseph A. Ciotola 1986
Daniel Friedman 1981
Sol J. Friedman 1983
Robert J. Gerstung 1981
Neal M. Janey 1990
Martin A. Kircher 1983
I. Sewell Lamdin 1985
Harold Lewis 1981
Richard 0. Motsay 1988
Vern J. Munger, Jr. 1987
William H. Murphy, Sr. 1990
Alan M. Resnick 1984
Jerome Robinson 1987
Allen B. Spector 1987
Henry W. Stichel, Jr. 1987
Blanche G. Wahl 1987
James J. Welsh 1984
William A. Dorsey, Administrative Clerk

District 2

Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester
counties—4 Judges

William B. Yates II,
Administrative Judge Dorchester, 1985
Dale R. Cathell Worcester, 1990
Robert D. Horsey Somerset, 1986
D. William Simpson Wicomico, 1988
Thomas A. White, Administrative Clerk

District 3

Caroline, Talbot, Queen Anne's, Kent, and Cecil
counties—6 Judges

Kenneth A. Wilcox,
Administrative Judge Cecil, 1983
L. Edgar Brown Caroline, 1986
Walter E. Buck, Jr. Cecil, 1981
John Thomas dark III Queen Anne's, 1988
W. Dunbar Gould Kent, 1981
John C. North II Talbot, 1981
Grace Achuff, Administrative Clerk