rules of practice and procedure, or administrative rules,
shall be subject to the rules and regulations adopted by
the Court of Appeals or otherwise bv law

(b)¹²⁰ 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 )udges
of the Circuit Courts, of the District Court and of any
intermediate courts of appeal, reports as to the judicial work
and business of each of the judges and their respective courts
He ma\, in case of a vacancy, or of the illness, disqualification
or other absence of a )udge or for the purpose of relieving
an accumulation of business in any court assign any Judge
except a judge of the Orphans' Court to sit temporarily in
any court except an Orphans' Court Any fudge assigned by
the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals pursuant to this
section has all the pow er and authority pertaining to a judge
of the court to w hich he is so assigned, and his power and
authority shall continue with respect to all cases (including
any motion, or other matters incidental thereto) which may
come before him bv virtue of such assignment until his action
thereon shall be completed 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 in the Court
of Appeals The powers of the Chief Judge set forth in this
section shall be subject to any rule or regulauon adopted by
the Court of Appeals

SEC. ISA.¹²¹ Vacant

Part 11A—Interim Provisions

SEC. 18B. (a) For the purpose of implemenung
the amendments to this article, dealing with the selection
and tenure of appellate court Judges, the following provi
sions shall govern

(b) Each Judge of an appellate court who is in office for
an elected term on the effective date of these amendments,
unless he dies, resigns, retires, or is otherwise lawfully re
moved, shall continue in office until the general election next
after the end of his elected term, or until his seventieth
birthda}, w hichev er first occurs His continuance in office is
then subject to the provisions ofsecuon 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 birth
da\

(c) Fach Judge of a court specified m subsection (b)
who is in office on the effective date of these amendments,
but who has not been elected to that office by the voters,
shall, within fifteen days after the effective date of these
amendments, be reappomted to that office His contmu
ancc in office is then subject to the provisions of section
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

Part 111—Circuit Courts

SEC. 19.¹²³ 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 C ceil, the Second, the
Counties of Baltimore and Harford, the Third, the C oun
ties ofAIlegany, Garrett, and Washington, the Fourth, the
Counties of Carroll, Howard and Anne Arundel, the Fifth,
the Counties of Montgomery and Frederick, the Sixth, the
Counties of Prince George's, Charles, Calvert, and St
Mary's, the Seventh, and Baltimore City, the Eighth

SEC. 20.¹²⁴ (a) I here shall be a Circuit Court for each
county and tor Balumorc Cm The Circuit Courts shall
have and exercise, in the respecti\e counues, and Balti
more City, all the power, authority and jurisdiction, ongi
nal and appellate, which the Circuit Courts ofthe counties
exercised on the effective date of these amendments, and
the greater or lesser jurisdiction hereafter prescribed by
law

(b) The Judges of the Circuit Courts for Montgomery
and Harford counties shall each, alternately and in rotation
and on schedules to be established by those Judges, sit as
an Orphans' Court tor their Count}, 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 provided by law

SEC. 21. (a) Subject to the provisions ofsubsecnon
(b) the General Assembly shall determine 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 m each circuit, and at least one circuit court Judge
shall be resident m each county There shall be at least two
such Judges resident in Anne Arundel County, at least three
resident in Balumore County, at least four resident in Pnnce
George's County, and at least h\ c resident in Montgomery
County

(c) The senior Judge in length of service in each circuit
shall be the chief )udge 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 transaction of any business

(e) The terms of the circuit courts shall be determined
bylaw

(f) A person is not ineligible for appointment or elec
tion 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 decreased

SEC. 21A. It the amendments to sections 3 and 21
of Article IV proposed b\ House Bill 972, Senate Bill 390