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St. Mary’s County approves $217,000 from reserve for courtroom renovation after judge warns of backlog
Summary
Commissioners authorized a $217,000 transfer from county capital reserve to add a fifth courtroom and renovate existing space after Circuit Court leaders described rising jury trials and family hearings that, they said, have stretched the court’s capacity.
The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County on May 6 approved a $217,000 transfer from county capital reserves to renovate courthouse space to create an additional courtroom and related office space.
Judge Joseph Stanelones, administrative judge for the Circuit Court for St. Mary’s County, told commissioners that the court’s workload has increased in ways not fully captured by statewide methodology used to approve new judgeships. “This request is to put a tourniquet on a gaping bleeding wound,” he said, arguing the extra courtroom would help manage a backlog of contested criminal jury trials and family merits hearings.
Stanelones and a recorded excerpt of the chief justice’s presentation explained that jury trials in St. Mary’s County rose sharply: contested criminal jury trials were 261% higher in calendar-year 2024 than in 2019, while family law…
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