Maryland's Public Information Act (PIA) provides a broad right of access to public records while protecting legitimate governmental interests and the privacy rights of individual citizens. The PIA also allows a custodian to deny inspection of public records if access would be contrary to the rules enacted by the Supreme Court of Maryland (formerly the Court of Appeals) in Title 16, Chapter 900 of the Maryland Rules.
Most court records are in the custody of a local Clerk’s office. To request those records, please contact the appropriate Clerk’s office, which is generally where the case was filed or the hearing or trial was conducted. To request a public record from the Thurgood Marshall State Law Library, contact the Library’s PIA representative:
James G. Durham
Director
Thurgood Marshall State Law Library
Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building
361 Rowe Boulevard
Annapolis, Maryland 21401-1697
Phone: 410.260.1430 ; toll-free: 888-216-8156
E-Mail: [email protected]
Internet Address: https://mdcourts.gov/lawlib
Under the current Rules, many records and documents are frequently available immediately upon request, including those listed here. Please note that there are occasions, including but not limited to when there are technical problems, when requests are made for multiple or bulk records, or when files are in active use or archived storage, that specific documents may not be immediately available.