Maryland
Maryland’s highest court is the Supreme Court of Maryland. The court has six associate justices and one chief justice, who is designated by the governor. (Source: Maryland Manual)
Judicial Selection
The governor nominates justices to the Supreme Court of Maryland. The governor receives a list of candidates from the judicial nominating commission but is not required to select a candidate from the list. The nominee must be confirmed by a majority of the state senate. After at least one year on the court, the justice may stand for a 10-year term in an unopposed yes/no retention vote at the time of Maryland’s next general election. Justices may stand for additional terms in the same retention process. To fill an interim vacancy, the governor appoints a candidate from a list provided by the judicial nominating commission, but the governor is not required to select a candidate from the list. The nominee must be confirmed by a majority of the state senate. There are no term limits. The mandatory retirement age is 70.
State Constitution
Maryland has had four constitutions adopted between 1776 and 1867. As of January 1, 2024, it had 239 amendments. (Source: John Dinan, 2024)
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The Maryland Constitution: One of the Nation’s Oldest, Was a Model for Other States
The state’s current constitution was adopted during the Reconstruction Era as a reactionary effort to re-establish pre-Civil War government.
Hawaii’s Midwives Challenge Law Criminalizing Traditional Birthing Practices
Many Native Hawaiians rely on lay midwives to provide culturally sensitive reproductive health care.
States, Not the President, Run Elections in America
The administration’s attempts to undermine or interfere with elections run afoul of constitutional delegations of responsibility.
State Legalization of Marijuana Is Changing Search and Seizure Jurisprudence
The smell of marijuana, on its own, is no longer considered to be evidence of criminal activity in many jurisdictions.
The Extra Hurdle in State Courts to Prove a Statute Violates the U.S. Constitution
Many states require a litigant challenging a statute as violating the U.S. Constitution to prove the statute is unconstitutional “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Book Excerpt: Impermissible Punishments: How Prison Became a Problem for Democracy
The U.S. prison system violates democratic social orders aiming to lessen racist and class hierarchies. Its development was not inevitable.
The Power of State Reproductive Freedom Amendments
A new report analyzes the language and effects of recently adopted amendments protecting reproductive rights and highlights their potential for abortion access and beyond.
Book Excerpt: Sedition: How America's Constitutional Order Emerged from Violent Crisis
Throughout history, state constitutional drafting has involved failure and violent crisis and has sometimes torn us apart rather than brought us together.