Maryland District Court

The District Court of Maryland is Maryland's statewide lower trial court of original jurisdiction, created by a state constitutional amendment and put into operation in July 1971 to replace what was described as a hodgepodge of justices of the peace, magistrates and People's Courts. It hears minor matters such as landlord tenant disputes, replevin actions, motor vehicle violations, misdemeanors like disturbing the peace, and certain felonies, and it does not hold jury trials. Rather than being organized by county the way Maryland's Circuit Courts are, it operates as a single state funded court with at least one location in every county plus additional locations in Baltimore City and the larger suburban counties. It has exclusive jurisdiction over civil claims under $5,000 and shares jurisdiction with the Circuit Court over claims from $5,001 to $30,000, and most of its appeals go to the Circuit Court, with some proceeding to the Appellate Court of Maryland or the Supreme Court of Maryland. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/