Georgetown Law
Georgetown Law Library

Maryland Resources

This State Guide provides an in-depth look at sources of law in Maryland.

Reported Appellate Court Opinions

Court of Appeals

Databases

State Website

  • Maryland Appellate Court: The database includes reported opinions, in pdf format, from the Court of Appeals and the Court of Special Appeals from 1995 to date. There are two ways of accessing the opinions you need. You can do a full-text keyword search. Opinions can also be listed by case docket number/term, by official case citation, by appellant's (or first party's) name, by date opinion is filled by court, or by judge. You can choose one particular year or all years. Reported opinions are posted on the web site on the day they are filed.

Print Reports

Maryland Reports: Cases Adjudged in the Court of Appeals for Maryland (Md.)
Maryland Advance Reports
West's Atlantic Reporter. Third Series (A.3d)

Includes opinions from Maryland Court of Appeals only.

Atlantic Reporter. Second Series (A.2d)

Includes opinions from Maryland Court of Appeals only.

Atlantic Reporter. First Series (A.)

Includes opinions from Maryland Court of Appeals only.

Special Appeals

Databases

Print Reports

Maryland Appellate Reports, Cases Adjudged in the Court of Special Appeals in Maryland (Md. App.)

Tax Court

Court Opinions Finding Aids in Print

Other Resources

Databases

Websites

Unreported Appellate Court Opinions

Maryland Unreported Decisions by Maryland Courts, coverage from May 2015 (Md. Ct.s). Under Maryland Rules 1-104, unpublished opinions are not precedent and also not persuasive authority; therefore, you should not cite them in documents submitted to Maryland courts.

Circuit Court Opinions

As noted in Pamela Gregory, Legal Research in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (2000), Call Number: Reference Desk KF240 .C43 2000):

"Opinions of the circuit courts seldom are ever published, as they are nisi prius opinions. Occasionally an opinion will be of such general interest or uniqueness that the Daily Record will publish it, but those instances are rare." (p. 2-60).

Daily Record (Daily Rec.)

A daily newspaper containing legal announcements, court calendar, opinions of the Attorney General, and synopses of important court decisions.

Databases

Website

Microformat

Circuit Court Dockets

Dockets

Maryland Judiciary Case Search (Md. Judiciary). Provides basic docket information (filing date, party names, attorney names, and case status) for all Maryland circuit and district courts except those of Prince George's and Montgomery Counties. Dates of coverage vary by court. The Maryland Judiciary Case Search is a free service searchable by participant (party, attorney) name and docket number.

In microformat: Records and briefs of the Maryland Court of Appeals and Maryland Court of Special Appeals: Law Library Call Number: Media 1st Floor MCS 7 Micro. Court of Appeals coverage: 1980 - 2004; Court of Special Appeals coverage: 1979 - 2003.

Research Guides

Further Readings

Court Structure

Maryland Court Structure (linked to Maryland Courts)

Case Law Research Tutorial

Tutorial "play" tile.