On April 8, the Maryland General Assembly voted to send a ballot measure to voters in November to require Howard County Circuit Court judges to serve as orphans’ court judges and remove the election requirement of three orphans’ court judges. The bill would also make changes to state law, if the amendment is approved, to clarify that an appellant from the orphans’ court does not appeal to the circuit court but directly to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.
The Maryland Constitution requires a simple majority vote in the state and the affected county in order for the amendment to pass, meaning a simple majority must also be achieved in Howard County for the amendment to be adopted.
To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a 60% supermajority vote is required in both the Maryland State Senate and the Maryland House of Representatives.
