HISTORICAL EVOLUTION
![[Color photograph of Court of Appeals]](/msa/mdmanual/29ap/images/i004454a.jpg)
Court of Appeals, Annapolis, Maryland, April 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
The Court of Appeals has a long history in Maryland, dating from the seventeenth century and reformed by the first State constitution of 1776. As Maryland's highest court, the Court of Appeals reviews cases of major importance where the decisions rendered are based on constitutional interpretation of the law. The seven judges of the Court of Appeals are appointed by the Governor with Senate consent. They serve ten-year terms. Like judges of the Court of Special Appeals, judges of the Court of Appeals must win approval of the electorate at the first general election occurring at least one year after their appointment.
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