Appellate Court of Maryland

{{Short description|Maryland's intermediate appellate court}}

{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}

{{Use mdy dates|date = March 2019}}

{{Infobox high court

|court_name = Appellate Court of Maryland

|image = Appellate_Court_of_Maryland_Seal.png

|imagesize = 125px

|caption =

|motto =

|established = 1966

|dissolved =

|location = Annapolis, Maryland, United States

|coordinates =

|type =Appointment by the Governor of Maryland

|authority =Md. Courts and Judicial Proceedings Code Ann. § 1-401

|terms =

|positions = 15

|budget =

|website =

|chiefjudgetitle = Chief Judge

|chiefjudgename = E. Gregory Wells

|termstart = April 15, 2022

|termend2 =

|chiefjudgetitle2 =

|chiefjudgename2 =

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|termend4 =

}}

The Appellate Court of Maryland is the intermediate appellate court for the U.S. state of Maryland. Formerly known as the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, it was created in 1966 in response to the rapidly growing caseload in the Supreme Court of Maryland. Like the state's highest court, the tribunal meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in the state capital, Annapolis.

The Appellate Court of Maryland originally could hear only criminal cases. However, its jurisdiction has expanded so that it now considers any reviewable judgment, decree, order, or other action of the circuit and orphans’ courts, unless otherwise provided by law. Judges sitting on the Appellate Court of Maryland generally hear and decide cases in panels of three. In some instances, however, all 15 judges may listen to a case, known as an en banc hearing.

A ballot proposal in the 2022 general election asked Maryland voters whether to change the court's name from the Maryland Court of Special Appeals to the Appellate Court of Maryland.{{cite news |last1=Lash |first1=Steve |title=Md. voters will vote on name change for appeals courts |url=https://thedailyrecord.com/2021/04/07/md-voters-will-vote-on-name-change-for-appeals-courts/ |access-date=October 7, 2022 |work=The Daily Record |date=April 7, 2021}} The measure was approved by 74.2% of voters on November 8, 2022.{{Cite news |last1=Munro |first1=Dana|last2=Opilo |first2=Emily|date=November 9, 2022 |title=Maryland to require legislators to live in their districts; state will rename its high court|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/elections/bs-md-pol-maryland-ballot-questions-vote-20221109-55lh7busmngc7e6waiy7jeixra-story.html|access-date=November 9, 2022 |work=The Baltimore Sun |language=en-US}}{{cite web | url=https://ublawforum.com/2022/11/13/election-day-was-a-namechanger-voters-successfully-rename-marylands-appellate-courts | title=Election Day was a "Namechanger": Voters Successfully Rename Maryland's Appellate Courts | date=November 13, 2022 }} It changed to this name on December 14, 2022.{{cite news |last1=Lash |first1=Steve |title=Maryland's appellate courts will get new names Dec. 14 |url=https://thedailyrecord.com/2022/11/29/marylands-appellate-courts-will-get-new-names-dec-14/ |access-date=December 14, 2022 |work=The Daily Record |date=November 29, 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.courts.state.md.us/media/news/2022/pr20221214|title=Voter-approved constitutional change renames high courts to Supreme and Appellate Court of Maryland | Maryland Courts|website=www.courts.state.md.us}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mdcourts.gov/opinions/opinions|title=Maryland Appellate Court Opinions | Maryland Courts|website=www.mdcourts.gov}}{{Cite web|url=https://judicature.duke.edu/articles/renaming-marylands-appellate-courts/|title=Renaming Maryland's Appellate Courts|date=June 21, 2023|website=judicature.duke.edu}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fandpnet.com/insight/maryland-voters-rename-two-appellate-courts/|title=Maryland Voters Approved a Constitutional Amendment Renaming Two Appellate Courts|first=Maryland Voters Approved a Constitutional Amendment Renaming Two Appellate|last=Courts|website=Franklin & Prokopik, P.C.}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/the-court-of-appeals-of-maryland-is-now-the-supreme-court-of-maryland/|title=The Court of Appeals of Maryland is now the Supreme Court of Maryland - CBS Baltimore|first=CBS Baltimore|last=Staff|date=December 14, 2022|website=www.cbsnews.com}}