Judiciary/515

COURT OF SPECIAL APPEALS

Richard P. Gilbert, Chief Judge.........................................................................6th Appellate Circuit, 1997

Richard M. Pollitt, Associate Judge...................................................................1st Appellate Circuit, 1996

Paul E. Alpert, Associate Judge.........................................................................2nd Appellate Circuit, 1994

William W. Wenner, Associate Judge..................................................................3rd Appellate Circuit, 1995

John J. Garrity, Associate Judge.........................................................................4th Appellate Circuit, 1994

Theodore G. Bloom, Associate Judge................................................................5th Appellate Circuit, 1994

Robert M. Bell, Associate Judge........................................................................6th Appellate Circuit, 1996

Rosalyn B. Bell, Associate Judge..........................................................................................At Large, 1994

John J. Bishop, Jr., Associate Judge......................................................................................At Large, 1992

Robert E Fischer, Associate Judge........................................................................................At Large, 1990

Robert L. Karwacki, Associatejudge...................................................................................At Large, 1996

Charles E. Moylan, Jr., Associate Judge................................................................................At Large, 1997

AlanM. Wilner, Associate Judge...........................................................................................At Large, 1998

Leslie D. Gradet, Clerk of the Court
Susan L. Hoover, Chief Deputy Clerk

Courts of Appeal Building

361 Rowe Blvd.

Annapolis, MD 21401                                                                                                             974-3646

The Court of Special Appeals, Maryland's intermediate appellate court, was created in 1966 to alleviate
a substantial backlog of cases in the Court of Appeals (Const., Art. IX sec- 14A). The Court of Special
Appeals sits in Annapolis.

Except as otherwise provided by law, the Court of Special Appeals has exclusive initial appellate
jurisdiction over any reviewable judgment, decree, order, or other action of a circuit court or an orphans'
court and generally hears cases appealed from the circuit courts (Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings
Article, sec. 12-308). Judges of the Court are empowered to sit in panels of three. A hearing or rehearing
of a case before the whole Court may be ordered in any case by a majority of the Court's incumbent judges.
The Court also considers applications for leave to appeal in such areas as post-conviction, habeas corpus
matters involving denial of or excessive bail, and inmate grievances (Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings
Article, secs. 1-401 through 1-403).

Originally composed of five members, the Court of Special Appeals now has thirteen judges. Members
of the Court initially are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Thereafter, dicy run
on their records without formal opposition for a ten-year term of office. One member of the Court is
elected from each of the first five Appellate Judicial Circuits while two members are elected from the Sixth
Appellate Judicial Circuit (Baltimore City). The remaining six judges are elected from the State at large.
The Chief Judge of the Court of Special Appeals is designated by the Governor.

The clerk of the Court of Special Appeals is appointed by the Court. The clerk maintains the docket,
receives the records and briefs of all appeals filed with the Court, and maintains official custody of the
decisions of the Court.