Title 10. Evidence — Subtitle 5. Proof of Foreign Laws

Every court of this State shall take judicial notice of the common law and statutes of every state, territory, and other jurisdiction of the United States, and of every other jurisdiction having a system of law based on the common law of England.

The court may inform itself of those laws in the manner it deems proper, and the court may call upon counsel to aid it in obtaining appropriate information.

The determination of the laws shall be made by the court and not by the jury, and shall be reviewable. The court shall grant instructions to the jury, applying foreign law to the facts of the case as if the foreign law were domestic law. In nonjury proceedings the court shall apply foreign law to the facts of the case, as would be proper if foreign law were domestic law.

A party may also present to the trial court any admissible evidence of foreign laws, but, to enable a party to offer evidence of the law in another jurisdiction or to ask that judicial notice be taken of it, reasonable notice shall be given to the adverse parties either in the pleadings or by other written notice.

The law of a jurisdiction other than those referred to in § 10-501 of this subtitle shall be an issue for the court, but shall not be subject to the provisions concerning judicial notice.

This subtitle shall be interpreted and construed to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law of those states which enact it.

This subtitle may be cited as the Maryland Uniform Judicial Notice of Foreign Law Act.