Filing Briefs with the Court of Special Appeals

The Court of Special Appeals now permits the citation of some unreported opinions of certain courts other than Maryland state courts. To see the policy statement, click here.

1. Filing of briefs (unless otherwise ordered by the Court):

  1. Appellant's brief due within 40 days after the clerk sends notice of the filing of the record.
  2. Appellee's brief due 30 days after the filing of the appellant's brief.
  3. Appellant's reply brief due within 20 days after the filing of the appellee's brief, but in any event not later than 10 days before the date of argument.
  4. File 15 copies of each brief and, if filed as a separate volume, 10 copies of any record extract. (For Electronic Filing, see #5 below).
  5. In certain cases a self-represented party may file an informal brief.

2. Covers of briefs:

  1. Appellant's brief - yellow
  2. Appellee's brief - green
  3. Reply brief - red
  4. Amicus curiae brief - gray

3. Fonts - Commercial and Computer:

The following fonts are approved by the Court of Appeals for use in briefs, petitions for writ of certiorari, and other papers prepared by commercial printers or computer printers. This list is provided for your guidance -- these fonts are suggested, not mandatory. Be sure to read Maryland Rules 8-112 and 8-504(a)(10) for requirements as to type size, spacing, margins and the statement in the brief as to the typeface used.

Antique Olive
Arial
Arial Rounded
Book Antiqua
Bookman Old Style
Britannic
Century Gothic
Century Schoolbook

CG Times
Courier
Courier New
Footlight MT Light
Letter Gothic
MS LineDraw
Times New Roman
Universal

4. Length of briefs (see Rule 8-503(a)):

  1. Appellant and Appellee briefs - 9,100 words
  2. Reply brief - 3,900 words
  3. Pursuant to Rule 8-503(g), the brief must contain a certification of the word count substantially in the following form:

    CERTIFICATION OF WORD COUNT AND COMPLIANCE
    WITH RULE 8-112

    1. This brief contains_____words, excluding the parts of the brief exempted from the word count by Rule 8-503.
    2. This brief complies with the font, spacing, and type size requirements state in Rule 8-112.
    ____________________________________________

    Signature

  4. The word count can be obtained from either Microsoft Word or WordPerfect by selecting appropriate text and running the word count function for the appropriate software. For instance, in Microsoft Word 2013, highlight the text, click on the REVIEW tab and select the WORD COUNT button. In WordPerfect, select the text to be counted, click on TOOLS, and select WORD COUNT from the drop down menu.

5. Electronic Filing:

As of July 1, 2020, electronic filing is mandatory for attorneys in all appeals. The record electronic copy of the brief and record extract must be e-filed by the due date for the brief. Eight paper copies of the brief and record extract must also be filed. (Rule 20-404).

 

This is a brief summary of the rules regarding the filing of briefs. Please refer to Chapter 500 of Title 8 of the Maryland Rules for complete information on the style, formatting and filing of briefs in the Court of Special Appeals.