The District Court of Maryland is established. It is the court of limited jurisdiction created by Article IV, §§ 1 and 41A through 41-I of the Maryland Constitution. It is a court of record and shall have a seal.

For the purposes of operation and administration of the District Court, the State is divided into the following districts: District 1 -- Baltimore City. District 2 -- Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester counties. District 3 -- Caroline, Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Kent, and Cecil counties. District 4 -- Charles, St. Mary’s, and Calvert counties. District 5 -- Prince George’s County. District 6 -- Montgomery County. District 7 -- Anne Arundel County. District 8 -- Baltimore County. District 9 -- Harford County. District 10 -- Howard and Carroll counties. District 11 -- Frederick and Washington counties. District 12 -- Allegany and Garrett counties.

The court is composed of a Chief Judge and the number of associate judges provided for in subsection (b) of this section. If the Chief Judge is relieved of the Judge’s duties as Chief Judge but not removed from office as a judge of the District Court, the Chief Judge shall serve for the remainder of the Judge’s term of office as a District Court judge, as a resident judge of the Judge’s district and county of residence, without reference to the maximum number of judges for that district prescribed in subsection (b) of this section. In each of the districts provided for in § 1–602 of this subtitle, there shall be the following number of associate judges of the District Court: District 1 — 28 District 2 — 6, two to be appointed from Wicomico County and two to be appointed from Worcester County District 3 — 6, two to be appointed from Cecil County District 4 — 7, two to be appointed from Calvert County, two to be appointed from St. Mary’s County, and three to be appointed from Charles County District 5 — 19 District 6 — 13 District 7 — 10 District 8 — 15 District 9 — 4 District 10 — 7, two to be appointed from Carroll County and five to be appointed from Howard County District 11 — 6, three to be appointed from Frederick County and three to be appointed from Washington County District 12 — 3, two to be appointed from Allegany County In each district comprising more than one county, there shall be at least one District Court judge resident and holding court in each county in the district. To ensure that the services of the District Court are readily and practicably available in all areas of District 8 and to ensure that these services are provided to all citizens of District 8 with a minimum of inconvenience and a maximum of availability, there shall be a court facility physically located in each of the following areas of that district, and at least one judge shall sit regularly in each location: The Towson area; The Catonsville area; and The Essex area.

The District Courthouse, located at 8552 Second Avenue, Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland, shall be renamed the Judge L. Leonard Ruben District Courthouse.

The plaza located on the south side of the Mary E. W. Risteau District Courts and Multi–Service Center in Harford County, Maryland, shall be named the H. Wayne Norman, Jr. Memorial Plaza.

The Chief Judge of the District Court is the chief administrative officer of the District Court and responsible for the maintenance, administration, and operation of the court in all its locations throughout the State. The Chief Judge of the District Court may make administrative regulations for the governing of the District Court, subject to and not inconsistent with the rules of the Supreme Court of Maryland. The Chief Judge of the District Court may assign a judge of the District Court to sit temporarily in a county other than the judge’s county of residence. In addition to the powers and duties granted and imposed in subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this section, or elsewhere by law or rule, the Chief Judge of the District Court shall: Appoint a chief clerk of the District Court, a chief administrative clerk for each district, and other personnel of the District Court pursuant to Article IV, § 41F of the Maryland Constitution; Approve the appointments of commissioners of the District Court pursuant to Article IV, § 41G of the Maryland Constitution; Establish uniform record–keeping procedures for the District Court; In conjunction with the Motor Vehicle Administrator, establish uniform procedures for reporting traffic cases in the District Court, including procedures for promptly notifying the Motor Vehicle Administration of each citation within the jurisdiction of the District Court that is issued to a minor licensed in the State charging the minor with a moving violation as defined in § 11–136.1 of the Transportation Article; In conjunction with the State Comptroller, establish a system for the collection and remittance of costs, fines, penalties, and forfeitures collected by the District Court; Approve in writing the destruction of pleadings, papers, or files proposed for destruction pursuant to § 2–205 of this article; On the recommendation of the administrative judge of any district, approve in writing the invalidation and destruction of certain warrants for arrest, if the administrative judge certifies to the Chief Judge that: Each of the warrants is more than 3 years old; The warrant was properly delivered to an authorized law enforcement agency for execution and service, which was not effected; Each of the warrants was issued by a judicial officer of the District Court for: The arrest of the defendant in order that the defendant might stand trial on a misdemeanor offense; The failure of the defendant to appear for trial for a misdemeanor offense, as directed by the District Court; The failure of the defendant to make a deferred payment of a fine or costs as ordered by the District Court for a misdemeanor offense; or A violation of a probation order of the District Court entered in a misdemeanor offense; and The administrative judge believes that the invalidation and destruction of the arrest warrant is consistent with the ends of justice; After consultation with police administrators and the Motor Vehicle Administrator, design arrest – citation forms that shall be used by all law enforcement agencies in the State when charging a person with a criminal, civil, or traffic offense, except for: Violations by juveniles listed in § 3–8A–33(a) of this article; Violations of parking ordinances or regulations adopted under Title 26, Subtitle 3 of the Transportation Article; and Other violations as expressly provided by law; Authorize the use of a single document for issuance of more than one, separately numbered, citation; Specify appropriate means, such as a signature on a citation, electronic signature, or data encoded in a driver’s license or identity card issued by the Motor Vehicle Administration, to be used by: The police officer issuing a citation to execute it by certifying under penalties of perjury that the facts stated in the citation are true; and The person to whom a citation is being issued to acknowledge its receipt; Authorize a citation to include a summons to appear; and Cause the District Court to print or otherwise make available uniform motor vehicle citation forms and any other uniform statewide citation forms for offenses triable in the District Court. Notwithstanding any provision of the Transportation Article, a police officer may dispense with the acknowledgment of a person receiving a citation that contains a summons as provided in subsection (d)(11) of this section and regulations adopted by the police officer’s agency.

The State shall provide at a central location adequate and appropriate offices, furnishings, and office equipment for the Chief Judge, chief clerk, and their staffs.

The Chief Judge of the District Court, subject to the approval of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Maryland, shall designate a District Court judge in each district as the administrative judge for that district. The administrative judge is responsible for the administration, operation, and maintenance of the District Court in that district and for the conduct of the District Court’s business. Subject to the approval of the Chief Judge of the District Court, the District Court of any district may be divided into civil, criminal, traffic, or other functional divisions if the work of the District Court requires.

The cost of maintenance, operation, and administration, and of providing necessary facilities, including capital costs, of the District Court shall be borne exclusively by the State, and, except as provided in Title 7 of this article, or otherwise expressly by law, all revenues derived from the operation and administration of the District Court shall enure to the general funds of the State. The costs listed in subsection (a) of this section shall be included and itemized in the annual State budget or in the annual construction loan as submitted to the General Assembly by the Governor and subject to the power of the General Assembly with respect to budget appropriations.

When and in the manner authorized by law, a District Court judge may issue: Warrants of arrest; and Warrants for search and seizure or for interception of communications. A District Court judge may issue: Writs of habeas corpus ad testificandum or ad prosequendum; and Writs of error coram nobis.