Last Updated: Monday, April 4, 2022
The Maryland courts returned to normal operations on April 4, 2022.
Remote Proceedings
Proceedings that were scheduled to be conducted remotely due to the health emergency will be conducted remotely as planned, to the greatest extent possible. Courts are encouraged to conduct remote proceedings to the greatest extent possible. If your hearing will be held remotely, instructions will arrive by mail or you may be contacted by the clerk. Call the courthouse right away if you are not able to participate by remote means.
You may ask that the court change your in-person hearing to a remote hearing. Submit this form to ask for a remote hearing.
Judges
All incumbent judges (except Orphans Court judges) who were cross-designated to serve in any trial court in Maryland during the health emergency may continue to be authorized to hear those matters until their completion.
Jury Trials and Trial Deadlines
Jury Trials. Jury trials which had previously been suspended on an emergency basis will be rescheduled as promptly as possible. Priority will be given to criminal jury trials and other urgent actions.
Deadline for Offering Jury Trials to Defendants Extended. Deadlines established by Maryland law or court rules regarding when criminal matters must be heard in state court that were tolled or suspended previously. This means that days that jury trials could not be offered to defendants due to the COVID-19 health emergency do not count against the time remaining for the start of a criminal jury trial. With the resumption of jury trials March 7, 2022, those deadlines were extended an additional 30 days to permit Circuit Courts to conduct status hearings and reschedule jury trials as appropriate.
Deadlines for Court Actions and Statutes of Limitations
Deadline for Preliminary Hearings in Criminal Matters Extended. For all criminal cases that were pending or which began on December 29, 2021, through March 6, 2022, the deadline to conduct preliminary hearings in the District Court pursuant to Maryland Rule 4-221(b) is extended to April 15, 2022.
Deadline for Initiating New Matters Extended. Deadlines established by Maryland law or court rules regarding when new matters must be filed in state court, including statutes of limitations, were tolled or suspended effective March 16, 2020, by the number of days the courts were closed. This means that the days the offices of the clerks of court were closed due to the COVID-19 health emergency (March 16 – July 20) do not count against the time remaining to initiate that matter. Clerks offices reopened to the public on July 20, 2020, and filing deadlines to initiate matters are were extended by an additional 15 days.