Maryland

E

Annual Events

Horse racing is one of the most popular spectator sports in Maryland. Well-known races include the Maryland Hunt Cup, which is a steeplechase held in Baltimore in April, the Preakness Stakes, in Baltimore in May, and the Maryland Million Day, at Laurel in October.

Maryland Day is celebrated in late March in Saint Marys City. In June, at Columbia, a Fine Arts Festival is held. June also marks the Bay Country Music Festival, in Centreville. On June 14, a Flag Day celebration is held at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The Maryland State Fair opens annually in late August at Timonium. Jousting tournaments, the official state sport, are held in several locations during the summer. Defenders Day is commemorated in September by a mock bombardment of Fort McHenry in the harbor at Baltimore. October is marked by the celebration of Olde Princess Anne Days in Somerset County. In early December is an annual candlelight tour of historic Havre de Grace.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards is the home of Baltimore’s major league professional baseball team. The Washington Bullets basketball team and Washington Capitals hockey team play at Landover. In late 1995 the owner of the Cleveland Browns professional football franchise announced his intention to move the team to Baltimore. The team, renamed the Baltimore Ravens, began to play in Baltimore in 1996 at Memorial Stadium. During the 1998 season the Ravens moved into a new stadium built next to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

VII

Government

Maryland’s present constitution, the state’s fourth, was adopted in 1867. Previous state constitutions had been adopted in 1776, 1851, an 1864. A proposed amendment to the constitution must initially be approved by three-fifths of the membership of each house of the state legislature. To be adopted, the amendment must then be approved by a majority of the electorate voting on it in a general election. Amendments may also be proposed by specific constitutional conventions.

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A

Executive

The chief executive, the governor, is elected to a four-year term and may serve no more than two terms in succession. The governor has wide appointive powers, which extend to choosing many county, as well as state, administrative officials. The governor may veto proposed legislation, but the state legislature can override his veto by a three-fifths majority vote in each house. Other elected officials in the executive are the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, and the comptroller of the treasury, all of whom serve four-year terms.

B

Legislative

The state legislature, officially called the General Assembly, consists of a Senate of 47 members and a House of Delegates of 141 members. All legislators are elected to four-year terms. The general assembly convenes annually in January for 90-day sessions, which can be extended by approval of a supermajority of the legislature. The governor may call special sessions.

C

Judicial

The court of appeals is composed of a chief judge and six judges. The court of special appeals is made up of a chief judge and 12 judges. Circuit courts include the circuit court of Baltimore City, known as the supreme bench of Baltimore. Judges of the two appellate courts serve 10-year terms and the circuit court justices serve 15-year terms. Initially they are appointed by the governor. Then, after at least one year’s service, the judges run on a nonpartisan ballot, frequently unopposed, for full terms. The governor appoints the chief judges of the appellate courts and the chief judge of each judicial circuit. Lower state courts include district courts and orphans’ courts.

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