SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                       591

288D.

The Governor shall appoint a substitute judge of the People's
Court from a list of qualified persons nominated by the Bar As-
sociation of Cecil County whose term of office shall be four (4)
years. The substitute judge of the People's Court shall serve in the
place of the Judge of the People's Court in the event of his temporary
absence or inability and shall have the same power and authority
and duties and responsibilities as the Judge, and he shall sit upon
request of the Judge at any time it is necessary to relieve a crowded
docket.

288E.

The Judge of the People's Court shall not engage in the private
practice of law during his term of office, and the substitute judge
shall not practice before the People's Court during his term of
office.

288F.

The People's Court shall sit in Elkton, AND ANY OTHER PLACE
IN THE COUNTY IF THE JUDGE FEELS THE WORK LOAD
JUSTIFIES SITTING OTHER THAN IN ELKTON, and the County
Commissioners shall provide adequate courtroom facilities for the
court.

288G.

The People's Court of Cecil County shall have the criminal juris-
diction formerly vested in the justices of the peace designated as
trial magistrates and shall have civil jurisdiction in cases involving
amount's in controversy not exceeding two thousand five hundred
dollars ($2,500.00). This jurisdiction shall be concurrent with the
Circuit Court.

288H.

The People's Court shall have the following powers:

(a)    To provide by appropriate rules and printed forms, for the
administration of said Court and for the expeditious, orderly, ef-
ficient and simple practice and procedure in said Court which may
relate to, and include, but shall not be limited to, the fixing of
court costs, return days, practice in suits against non-residents,
attachments, replevins, joint tort-feasors, counterclaims, cross-
claims, and consolidations, continuances, depositions, dismissals,
arbitrations, set-offs, appeal bonds, summary judgments, judgments
by default, judgments by confession, supplementary proceedings,
new trial, and such other matters not inconsistent with law. Such
rules shall have the force of law until rescinded or modified by the
said Judges or by the General Assembly.

(b)    To punish for contempt of court.

(c)    To suspend or reduce sentence and/or costs in any case within
their jurisdiction within the thirty (30) days after judgment has
been pronounced.

288-I.

(a) There shall be no formalized pleadings required in civil
cases in which the amount of three hundred dollars ($300.00) or