Maryland's Prompt Criminal Trial Provisions: Hicks and Beyond

In 1971, the Maryland General Assembly and court of appeals adopted the prompt trial provisions. It was not until the court's 1979 decision in State v. Hicks, however, that the "teeth" were put into the provisions, by supplying dismissal as the sanction for violation of the defendant's rights under the prompt trial provisions. Since that time, there has been an abundance of litigation in an attempt to clarify the applicability of the provisions and the sanction. In this article, the author presents a practical guide to the Maryland prompt trial provisions, analyzing the provisions and the wealth of recent case law.