Maryland Constitution
Article IV - Judiciary Department
SEC. 40.

Universal Citation: MD Const art IV § 40
  1. The qualified voters of the several Counties, except Montgomery County and Harford County, shall elect three Judges of the Orphans' Courts of Counties who shall be citizens of the State and residents, for the twelve months preceding, in the County for which they may be elected.
  2. The qualified voters of the City of Baltimore shall elect three Judges of the Orphans' Court for Baltimore City who shall be citizens of the State and residents, for the twelve months preceding, in Baltimore City and who have been admitted to practice law in this State and are members in good standing of the Maryland Bar.
  3. The qualified voters of Prince George's County shall elect three Judges of the Orphans' Court for Prince George's County who shall be citizens of the State and residents, for the twelve months preceding, in Prince George's County and who have been admitted to practice law in this State and are members in good standing of the Maryland Bar (added by Chapter 394, Acts of 2011, ratified Nov. 6, 2012).
  4. The qualified voters of Baltimore County shall elect three Judges of the Orphans' Court for Baltimore County who shall be citizens of the State and residents, for the twelve months preceding, in Baltimore County and who have been admitted to practice law in this State and are members in good standing of the Maryland Bar (added by Chapter 146, Acts of 2012, ratified Nov. 6, 2012).
  5. The Judges shall have all the powers now vested in the Orphans' Courts of the State, subject to such changes as the Legislature may prescribe.
  6. Each of the Judges shall be paid such compensation as may be regulated by Law, to be paid by the City or Counties, respectively.
  7. In case of a vacancy in the office of Judge of the Orphans' Court, the Governor shall appoint, subject to confirmation or rejection by the Senate, some suitable person to fill the vacancy for the residue of the term (amended by Chapters 99 and 124, Acts of 1956, ratified Nov. 6, 1956; Chapter 744, Acts of 1963, ratified Nov. 3, 1964; Chapter 374, Acts of 1972, ratified Nov. 7, 1972; Chapter 681, Acts of 1977, ratified Nov. 7, 1978; Chapter 481, Acts of 2010, ratified Nov. 2, 2010).

Disclaimer: This Constitution may not be the most recent version. Maryland may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.