Charging and Filing in Circuit Court

In Maryland, misdemeanors (including traffic cases) and petty offenses/infractions are generally heard in the District Court. Felony cases are generally heard in the Circuit Court. The State’s Attorney’s Office reviews felony and serious misdemeanor cases to determine whether they should be handled in the Circuit Court or the District Court. When a determination is made to handle a case in the Circuit Court, the State's Attorney's Office files an indictment and presents the case to the Grand Jury for Indictment or files a Criminal Information. District Court cases can also be transferred to the Circuit Court by way of defense filing a De Novo appeal after conviction or, in some cases, requesting the case be heard in the Circuit Court by way of "instant jury demand". This section presents data on all cases filed in Circuit Court.

Why is this important? To support community safety, we want to maximize limited resources by focusing on serious crime while minimizing unnecessary punitiveness. Understanding the number and types of cases filed in the Office helps to ensure we use resources efficiently, effectively, and fairly.

Notes 

• Each case is represented once, by the top charge filed. 
• For definitions of charge types included in the dashboard, see the full list in Technical Notes.