The Supreme Court of Maryland is the highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its name was changed on December 14, 2022 from the Maryland Court of Appeals to its current name by a constitutional amendment. The court, which is composed of one chief justice and six associate justices, meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in the state capital, Annapolis. The term of the Court begins the second Monday of September. The Court is unique among American courts in that the justices wear red robes. Functions As Maryland's highest court, the Supreme Court of Maryland reviews cases of both major and minor importance. Throughout the year, the Supreme Court of Maryland holds hearings on the adoption or amendment of rules of practice and procedure. It also supervises the Attorney Grievance Commission and State Board of Law Examiners in attorney disciplinary and admission matters. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Maryland, designated by the Governor, is the constitutional administrative head of the Maryland judicial system. Cases typically come before the Supreme Court of Maryland on a petition for a writ of certiorari to the Appellate Court of Maryland. The court can decline the petition, and refuse to hear the case, or it can grant the "cert," and hear the appeal. The justices sometimes decide to hear an appeal before the lower appellate court has heard the case. This is known as the Court 'granting certiorari on its own motion', or 'reaching down'. In this instance, the writ of certiorari is issued to the trial court, rather than to the Appellate Court of Maryland (Maryland's intermediate appellate court, or appellate court of right). The court does not sit in panels; all seven justices sit on each case (en banc) unless there is a disqualification, in which event a judge from another court, or a retired appellate judge, may be specially assigned to sit in the place of the disqualified justice. In practice, almost all cases are heard by seven justices, though a quorum for the court is five justices. While it is generally an Appellate court and hears most cases on appeal, the Supreme Court of Maryland has exclusive jurisdiction over certain matters, such as legislative redistricting, removal of certain officers, and certification of questions of law. Additionally, it had exclusive jurisdiction in death penalty appeals prior to the abolition of capital punishment in Maryland.