(a) In General. A brief, table of contents of a record extract, petition for a writ of certiorari, motion, or other paper filed shall be typewritten or printed and shall comply with this Rule.
(b) Typewritten Papers--Uniformly Spaced Type.
(1) Type Size. Uniformly spaced type (such as produced by typewriters) in the text and footnotes shall not be smaller than 11 point and shall not exceed 10 characters per inch.
(2) Spacing. Papers prepared with uniformly spaced type shall be double-spaced, except that headings, indented quotations, and footnotes may be single-spaced.
(3) Documents Subject to Word Count Maximums.
(A) Applicability. This subsection applies to a typewritten document as to which a word count maximum is specified by the Rules in this Title. It does not apply to a document that is commercially printed or generated by a computer printer.
(B) Page Limits. Word count maximums are replaced by page limits, as follows:
(i) if the word count maximum is 13,000, the typewritten document shall not exceed 50 pages in length;
(ii) if the word count maximum is 9,100, the typewritten document shall not exceed 35 pages in length;
(iii) if the word count maximum is 6,500, the typewritten document shall not exceed 25 pages in length;
(iv) if the word count maximum is 3,900, the typewritten document shall not exceed 15 pages in length; and
(v) if the word count maximum is 2,600, the typewritten document shall not exceed 10 pages.
(C) No Certification Required. The certification requirement of Rule 8-504 (a)(9) does not apply.
(c) Printed and Computer-Generated Papers--Proportionally Spaced Type.
(1) Type Size and Font. Proportionally spaced type (such as produced by commercial printers and many computer printers) in the text and footnotes shall be in a font approved by the Supreme Court and shall not be smaller than 13 point. The Supreme Court shall approve, from time to time, a list of fonts that comply with the requirements of this Rule. Upon the docketing of an appeal, the appellate clerk shall send the approved list to all parties or their attorneys.
(2) Spacing. Papers prepared with proportionally spaced type shall have double spacing between lines, except that headings, indented quotations, and footnotes may be single-spaced.
(d) Margins. Margins at the top, bottom, and each side of the page shall be not less than 1 inch, except that the page number may be within the bottom margin. The margin on the bound edge of each page shall be sufficient to prevent the binding from covering any text.
(e) Copies. Copies required to be filed shall be duplicated by any process that produces a clear black image on white, opaque, unglazed paper.
(f) Effect of Noncompliance. For noncompliance with this Rule, an appellate court may enter any appropriate order, including an order that an improperly prepared brief be corrected at the expense of the attorney for the party for whom the brief was filed.
Cross reference: With respect to exhibits, see Rules 1-301 (e) and 8-501 (i).
Source: This Rule is new but is derived in part from former Rules 831 a and 1031 a.
Credits
[Adopted Nov. 19, 1987, eff. July 1, 1988. Amended Dec. 10, 1996, eff. July 1, 1997; Sept. 17, 2015, eff. Jan. 1, 2016; Feb. 9, 2022, eff. April 1, 2022; April 21, 2023, eff. nunc pro tunc April 1, 2023.]
MD Rules, Rule 8-112, MD R A CT AND SPEC A Rule 8-112
Current with amendments received through February 1, 2024. Some sections may be more current, see credits for details.
