FY2023 Adopted Operating and Capital Budget

FY2023 Adopted Budget Organizational Budgets

Courts

Courts Frederick County Circuit Court

The mission of the Frederick County Circuit Court is to provide fair, efficient and effective justice for all. Our vision is to work collaboratively with justice partners to serve the people with integrity and transparency.

Circuit Court This is the highest common law and equity Court of record exercising original jurisdiction within the State. It is a trial Court which handles major civil cases, where the controversy exceeds $25,000, family court cases, cases involving juveniles and more serious criminal matters as well as appeals or requests for jury trials from the District Court and certain administrative agencies. Judges are usually appointed by the Governor for a period not to exceed two years, after which they must stand for election for a 15-year term. Jury Selection System This system is administered by the Clerk of the Circuit Court under the direct supervision of the Jury Judge. There are two types of jurors: grand jurors and petit jurors. The Grand Jury plays an important role in the criminal justice process. ,W HYDOXDWHV WKH 6WDWH¶V HYLGHQFH against a person and decides whether there is probable cause for criminal charges. Petit jurors serve in both criminal and civil matters, hearing evidence from all parties to the proceedings to decide the outcome of the case based on the facts and laws presented. Both grand and petit jurors are chosen by random selection from a fair cross section of citizens residing in the county. The jury pool is created from a consolidated list of registered voters from the Board of Elections and licensed drivers or identification card holders from the Motor Vehicle Administration. The Circuit Court also includes a Drug Treatment Court and provides family and mediation services. Drug Treatment Court is a specialized court docket that targets criminal defendants and offenders who have alcohol and other drug dependency problems. Collaboration among court team members begins during the early planning stage to IDFLOLWDWH EHKDYLRUDO FKDQJHV DQG LPSURYH WKH SDUWLFLSDQW¶V DELOLW\ WR IXQFWLRQ HIIHFWLYHO\ LQ VRFLHW\ DQG UHPDLQ crime free. The designated drug court judge provides overall leadership of the team and represents the court authority to the drug court participants. Family Services are designed to support family service programs and ensure that services provided by the courts are accessible to all litigants regardless of their ability to pay for services and without regard to representational status. These services assist the court in fulfilling the mandate of Maryland Rule 16-204. Mediation Services benefit the court and citizens with the goal of increasing efficiency in the courts, expanding access to justice, preventing conflicts from escalating, and assist with the resolution of family, guardianship and civil litigation cases.

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