BLAIR LEE III, Acting Governor                           252 1

(Senate Bill 1262)

AN ACT concerning

     District Courts - Constables Service of Process

FOR the purpose of authorizing and requiring constables of
the respective District Courts under direction of the
administrative judge to serve process, including
warrants and summonses for witnesses, in civil,
criminal, and traffic cases; and allowing service by

mail of certain process by mail to witnesses under

certain conditions.

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments,

Article - Courts and Judicial Proceedings
Section 2-604(a), 2-605(b), and 2-606
Annotated Code of Maryland
(1974 Volume and 1977 Supplement)

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That section(s) of the Annotated Code of Maryland
be repealed, amended, or enacted to read as follows:

Article - Courts and Judicial Proceedings

2-604.

(a)    The Chief Judge of the District Court, upon the
recommendation of the administrative judge of each district,
shall appoint the number of constables required to serve
[civil] process of the District Court within that district.
The administrative judge shall assign the constables to the
various courts or divisions of courts within his district so
that every court or division of a court has at least one
constable.

2-605.

(b)    All criminal and traffic process, including
warrants and summonses for witnesses, shall be served by
MAIL, OR BY the CONSTABLES OF THE RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS, OR
BY THE sheriffs of the respective counties or by state or
local police as provided by rule THE ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE OF
THE DISTRICT COURT SHALL DIRECT. SHALL DIRECT. HOWEVER,
SUMMONSES TO WITNESSES IN THESE CASES MAY BE SERVED BY MAIL,
RATHER THAN BY PERSONAL SERVICE, IF THE ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE
OF THE DISTRICT DIRECTS.

2-606.

A constable shall obey and execute all [civil] process
directed to him from any judge of the District Court of
Maryland concerning any matter within the court's
jurisdiction and shall return the process according to its
command. He shall serve and levy all executions issued by a