HAHarvey Walden
1 week agoWelcome to the Appellate Court of Maryland
Welcome to the Appellate Court of Maryland | Maryland Courts
361 Rowe Boulevard
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-260-1450
888-200-7444
Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Clerk: Rachel Dombrowski
Appellate Court of Maryland
Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building
NOTICE: NOTICE CONCERNING REDUCTION IN NUMBER OF PAPER COPIES OF BRIEF AND RECORD EXTRACT REQUIRED TO BE FILED WITH THE COURT
(MD Rules 8-502(c); 20-403(b)-(c); 20-404(b)-(c))
Pursuant to Rules Order, dated February 19, 2026, effective July 1, 2026:
- The number of paper copies of each brief and record extract/appendix that must be filed with the Appellate Court of Maryland is reduced from eight (8) paper copies to five (5) paper copies;
- The number of paper copies of each brief and record extract/appendix that must be served on all other parties is reduced from two (2) paper copies to one (1) paper copy; and
- Parties can, by agreement, waive the requirement of serving paper copies of their brief and record extract/appendix on the other party.
(Note: Parties may only agree to waive the service of paper copies among each other. Parties may not agree to waive or reduce the number of paper copies required to be filed with the Court.)
Informal Briefing: The requirement for paper copies for Informal Briefing remains unchanged. Filers must file two (2) paper copies of their Informal Briefs with the Court.
NOTICE: Judiciary-Funded Transcript Cost Assistance Pilot Program
The Maryland Judiciary has established a pilot program to provide financial assistance to cover the costs of transcripts in certain circumstances. The program is subject to funding availability.
The pilot is limited to appeals in the Appellate Court of Maryland that:
- Involve an appeal of a circuit court order involving at least one (1) of the following types of decisions: child custody and/or visitation, child support, or the grant or denial of a protective order;
- The appealing party is self-represented or represented by an attorney retained through an approved legal services provider; AND
- The appealing party's income falls within certain eligibility guidelines.
Additional information and applications materials can be found on the transcript assistance fund page.
The Appellate Court of Maryland is Maryland's intermediate appellate court. The Court considers appeals from almost any case that originates in a circuit court or an orphans' court in Maryland. Parties who are unsuccessful in the Appellate Court may be able to seek further review in the Supreme Court, Maryland's highest court.
The Court traces its existence to 1966, when a constitutional amendment authorized the Maryland General Assembly to create an intermediate appellate court. When it was originally created, its jurisdiction was limited to certain types of cases—initially, only criminal cases. That jurisdiction expanded to the point that the Court is now more accurately described as an appellate court of general jurisdiction.
The Court now consists of fifteen active judges, at least one of whom comes from each of the State's seven geographic appellate circuits. All of the judges are appointed by the Governor, confirmed by the Maryland Senate, and then must stand for a retention election by the voters every ten years. Judges may serve until age 70. Senior Judges who have been authorized by the Supreme Court of Maryland to continue to serve may also hear and decide cases alongside the active judges.
All appeals filed in the Appellate Court of Maryland are governed by Title 8 and Title 20, pertaining to electronic filing over MDEC, of the Maryland Rules. After appeals are fully briefed, they are considered by panels of three judges. In all cases, the judges consider briefs filed by the parties and the record developed in the trial court. In some cases, the Court also holds oral argument, generally in the Courts of Appeal Building in Annapolis on one of the first eight business days of a month. The Court's schedule is posted on its website. If oral argument is scheduled, the identity of the members of the panel is revealed approximately seven-to-ten days in advance of the date of the argument.
In most cases, one of the three members of the panel assigned to the case will author a written opinion deciding the appeal. One or both of the other judges on the panel may also write a separate opinion concurring in or dissenting from the majority opinion. In rare cases, the entire Court will sit to review a case.
All of the Court's opinions are issued in writing. Some are also "reported," which means that they are published in the bound volumes of the Maryland Appellate Reporter and, unless overturned by the Supreme Court, serve as precedent that binds the State's trial courts. Opinions that are unreported are binding only on the parties to that appeal. Anyone, even a nonparty, can ask the Court to report an opinion that is initially unreported, as long as they do so before the Court issues its mandate. All opinions, both reported and unreported, are available on this website.
Each active judge of the Court maintains a chambers with staff who work directly for that judge. In addition, the Court is supported by its Clerk's Office, Staff Attorneys Office, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Division.
The Clerk of the Appellate Court of Maryland is responsible for receiving and keeping all papers filed with the Court, including briefs, motions, and the trial court records. The Clerk's Office is located on the Second Floor of the Courts of Appeal Building. All communications with the Court should come through the Clerk's Office. Litigants and attorneys should not attempt to contact judges or their chambers staff directly, either before or after an opinion is issued.
The Court also has a Staff Attorneys Office. Staff Attorneys assist the Court in reviewing certain appeals and applications for leave to appeal.
The Court's Alternative Dispute Resolution Division reviews most civil appeals and selects those that are good candidates for possible resolution through mediation. For the cases selected, the Division then uses highly trained mediators to facilitate the parties' resolution of their disputes. Cases not resolved through this process are placed back into the normal appellate process.
The Court is committed to providing access to justice to all who come before it. To that end, the Court has created its Guide for Self-Representation, which can help self-represented litigants in preparing their briefs and other papers.
