Mary Ellen Barbera, chief judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, told state lawmakers during a State House speech Wednesday that the state of the judiciary is “fundamentally sound.”
Barbera addressed a joint session of the House of Delegates and state Senate to update them on the judicial system in a State of the Judiciary speech.
Here are some of the highlights of the system, by the numbers.
300: Judges in Maryland.
4,000: Employees in the state judicial system.
2 million: How many cases were heard in trial courts last year.
144,000: People who represented themselves in civil cases who received advice from outreach programs.
71,000: Of the 144,000 civil litigants who received help representing themselves, the number who received remote assistance, such as phone and email advice.
20: Jurisdictions that have a computerized court records system, known as Maryland Electronic Courts or MDEC.
2021: When the four largest jurisdictions will have MDEC implemented.
4: Maryland’s ranking from the National Center for Access to Justice, which considers factors such as availability of legal aid and language services.
1: Open seat on the Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, due to the retirement of Judge Sally Adkins last year.