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, 2026, it had 240 amendments. (Data on file with John Dinan, Wake Forest University.)
The Maryland Constitution: One of the Nation’s Oldest, Was a Model for Other States
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The Other Declarations of 1776
A number of states adopted constitutions, including Declarations of Rights, the same year the nation was born.
State Law Gives Litigators Extra Tools to Counter Originalism
Unique features of state courts allow lawyers to go beyond arguments available in federal courts.
The Untold Story of 150 Years of Women in State Judiciaries
A focus on the U.S. Constitution and federal judges has obscured a longer and more complex history of women serving on state benches — and how state constitutions mattered in their rise.
New Year Scholarship Roundup: Federal-State Conflict, State Courts, and Election Administration
Several new articles explore state power in times of federal-state and interstate conflict.
Voting Rights and Democracy in State Courts
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights
State Constitutional Amendments and State Conventions
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights
The Diversity of Rights in State Constitutions
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights
Federalism and Interstate Conflicts
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights