Maryland Constitution
Article IV - Judiciary Department
SEC. 21.

Universal Citation: MD Const art IV § 21
  1. Subject to the provisions of subsection (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.
  2. There shall be at least four circuit court judges resident in each circuit, and at least one circuit court judge shall be resident in each county. There shall be at least two such judges resident in Anne Arundel County, at least three resident in Baltimore County, at least four resident in Prince George's County, and at least five resident in Montgomery County.
  3. The senior judge in length of service in each circuit shall be the chief judge of the circuit. The other judges shall be associate judges.
  4. Except as otherwise provided by law, one judge shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business.
  5. The terms of the circuit courts shall be determined by law.
  6. A person is not ineligible for appointment or election 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 (amended by Chapter 515, Acts of 1912, ratified Nov. 4, 1913; Chapter 426, Acts of 1935, ratified Nov. 3, 1936; Chapter 494, Acts of 1937, ratified Nov. 8, 1938; Chapter 200, Acts of 1939, ratified Nov. 5, 1940; Chapter 494, Acts of 1941, ratified Nov. 3, 1942; Chapter 772, Acts of 1943, ratified Nov. 7, 1944; Chapter 607, Acts of 1953, ratified Nov. 2, 1954; Chapters 65 and 68, Acts of 1954, ratified Nov. 2, 1954; Chapters 642 and 761, Acts of 1959, ratified Nov. 8, 1960; Chapter 372, Acts of 1966, ratified Nov. 8, 1966; Chapter 542, Acts of 1976, ratified Nov. 2, 1976).

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