On November 8, 2022, Maryland voters overwhelmingly voted to support changing the names of Maryland’s Court of Appeals and Court of Special Appeals. The Court of Appeals, Maryland’s highest court, will be renamed the Supreme Court of Maryland. Additionally, those serving in the highest court will have a title change from judge to justice. The Court of Special Appeals will be changed to the Appellate Court of Maryland.

Supporters of this bill stated that renaming the highest courts in Maryland was necessary to clear up confusion about the role of each of these courts. It also puts Maryland in line with other states. In every other state, aside from New York, the highest court has the name “Supreme.”

Subject to verification of the votes, these name changes are expected to take place on December 14, 2022. Any brief or paper filed before 12:01 a.m. on December 14, 2022, should be captioned with the courts’ current names. Any filings made after December 14, 2022, at 12:01 a.m. that are not captioned with the Supreme Court of Maryland or Appellate Court of Maryland will be accepted, but the filer will be expected to file a correct brief with a corrected caption.