A number of the courts had been created under earlier organizations: the Court of Common Pleas, Superior Court, and Criminal Court were created in 1851 and the Circuit Court was created in 1853. The City Court was first created in 1817 to hear criminal cases, but was disbanded in 1851. Baltimore's court system consequently developed a reputation for complexity and obscurity. In 1953, a commission appointed to study the Maryland judicial system concluded that Baltimore's court system was "a monument to inertia and an utterly unreasonable resistance to change." By having many separate courts, the Supreme Bench became a haven for those seeking political patronage jobs.

A constitutional amendment passed in 1980 consolidated the Baltimore Courts. It took effect in 1983, and the Supreme Bench became the Baltimore City Circuit Court, functioning as any other county circuit court.

Source:  John Carroll Byrnes, "Evolution of the Circuit Court of Baltimore City, 1632-1997," in Histories of the Bench & Bar of Baltimore City (Baltimore: Baltimore Courthouse and Law Museum Foundation, 1997) 1-62.

See also: Art Inventory of the Baltimore City Courthouse and Catalogue of Photographs of Supreme Bench Judges at the Courthouse.