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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland Senate Bill 543 Increases Judge Counts in St. Mary's and Washington Counties
Last action · April 9, 2026: Motion Recommit to Committee (Senator Smith) Adopted
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 543 increases the number of s on the Circuit Court for St. Mary's County from three to four and raises the number of s in District Court District 11 appointed from Washington County from two to three, effective October 1, 2026.
Litigants and attorneys in St. Mary's County and District 11 face expanded judicial capacity in local courts, altering caseload distribution timelines once the new judges take office.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Circuit Court for St. Mary's County
The court gains an additional resident judgeship position.
District Court in District 11
The district gains an additional associate judge seat allocated to Washington County.
Key Facts
- The number of resident judges of the Circuit Court for St. Mary's County increases from 3 to 4.
- The total number of associate judges in District Court District 11 increases from 5 to 6.
- The number of associate judges in District Court District 11 appointed from Washington County increases from 2 to 3.
- The number of associate judges in District Court District 11 appointed from Frederick County remains at 3.
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- The act takes effect on October 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many judges are added by Senate Bill 543?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
5 actions- Apr 9, 2026SenateFloorMotion Recommit to Committee (Senator Smith) Adopted
- Apr 9, 2026SenateFavorable
- Apr 9, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable Report by Judicial Proceedings
- Feb 5, 2026SenateHearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 4, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Judicial Proceedings
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance35How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy5Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment2Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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