Hardy v. State

This case presents a question expressly reserved in Thompson v. State, 278 Md. 41, 53-54 n. 5, 359 A. 2d 203 (1976): Does a defendant have a right to a jury trial in the circuit court upon a de novo appeal from a District Court criminal conviction?

Under Maryland’s two-tier trial court system, the District Court has exclusive original jurisdiction in a criminal case in which the defendant is charged with one of certain enumerated theft felonies involving less than $500.00 or is charged with a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of less than three years’ imprisonment or a fine of less than…