Annapolis Guide 8.30.26 - Flipbook - Page 45
Annapolis Guide | Sunday, August 30, 2026 45
PUBLIC LIFE
ON THE DOCKET
A guide to Anne Arundel
district and circuit courts
By Sanya Wason
If you have a traffic ticket or a misdemeanor charge, you will likely have to
appear at one of two district courts in
Anne Arundel County.
One is located in Annapolis at 251
Rowe Blvd., and the other is in Glen Burnie at 7500 Gov. Ritchie Highway.
District courts hear landlord and tenant cases, property return processes,
criminal felonies and any civil cases totaling under $30,000. Their operating
hours are weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m.
Annapolis also houses a circuit court,
located at 8 Church Circle in downtown.
The court handles family law, juvenile
cases, serious felonies and district court
appeals. Circuit courts allow defendants
the right to a jury trial.
The Clerk of Court, who serves as the
administrative backbone and docket
scheduler of a courthouse, is Scott Poyer.
To learn more about the county’s circuit courthouse, visit circuitcourt.org.
The website provides several resources
for people in need of legal assistance,
whether to check eligibility for representation by a public defender in a criminal case, get Maryland Legal Aid’s help
in a housing matter or do some research
at the People’s Law Library. The site will
also guide you on other services provided at the courthouse, like applying for
a passport or a business license.
Annapolis also has two important appellate courts, which hear appeals on the
basis of legal errors. The Supreme Court
of Maryland and the state’s designated
appellate court live in the state’s capital
and share a building at 361 Rowe Blvd.
For further information on the
county’s appellate courts, visit
courts.state.md.us/acm.
Anne Arundel County also has an Orphans’ Court, which registers wills and
estates and handles adoptions. Its building sits at 2011 E Commerce Park Drive.
Along with the county’s many courts,
the Office of the Public Defender is
headquartered in Annapolis, though it
has branches in both district courts.
Find out more about the county
branch of the public defender at
opd.state.md.us/anne-arundel.
The Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office prosecutes crimes
throughout the county. It is headquartered in the circuit court but has offices
in both district courts as well. Democrat
Robert F. Sweeney District Court in Anne Arundel County, 251 Rowe Blvd., Annapolis. JEFFREY F. BILL/STAFF PHOTOS
Anne Colt Leitess is serving her second
term as the elected state’s attorney for
the county.
For more information about the State’s
Attorney’s Office, or Leitess, visit aacounty.org/departments/sao.
People looking to review information
about court cases may do so through the
Maryland Judiciary’s Case Search website at casesearch.courts.state.
md.us/casesearch. This free website allows users to review criminal and civil
cases filed in any Maryland court system. It provides information on upcoming court dates, charges, attorneys,
judges and bail status.
Though both open and closed civil
cases are available to search, only open
and convicted criminal cases will appear
on Case Search. If a defendant is found
not guilty, the case will be expunged and
unavailable to review through the judiciary.
To review more detailed information
on cases, like charging documents, court
decisions and recorded correspondence,
visit any courthouse in Anne Arundel
County. At the clerk’s office, these documents can be printed for 50 cents per
page. Some courts have MDEC-accessible computers in their law libraries, but
the best way to locate a terminal or computer is to ask an attendant at an information desk.
Citizens may also request audio or
written transcripts of county court cases
by filling out a form at
aacounty.org/court-transcripts.
When requesting files, be specific and
note which day you want a transcript for.
Electronic audio recordings cost $35 per
download per day and are only available
for hearings held after July 1, 1999.
Readable transcripts generally cost
more, with standard prices for a 30-minute hearing costing slightly more than
$100 and a full day of proceedings about
$1,350.
Anne Arundel County Circuit Courthouse
in Annapolis.
