Maryland ballot measure · November 3, 2026
Maryland Question 2, explained
Temporary appointments to the Commission on Judicial Disabilities. A ballot measure is a yes-or-no question put directly to voters — no candidate is involved, and the wording on the ballot is the wording that becomes law. This page shows that wording first, then what it actually changes.
The official wording
Constitutional Amendment (Ch. 878 of the 2026 Legislative Session) — Temporary Appointments on the Commission on Judicial Disabilities. Authorizing temporary substitute appointments to the Commission on Judicial Disabilities when a member is recused or disqualified, or when a member's term expires. In these situations, the Commission Chair may recall a former member of the Commission, or the Governor, at the request of the Commission Chair, may appoint a temporary substitute member or extend the term of a current member until a permanent replacement is appointed. Only individuals who meet the constitutional eligibility requirements may be recalled or appointed to the Commission. (Amending Article IV of the Maryland Constitution) For the Constitutional Amendment — A vote FOR this amendment means that temporary appointments to the Commission are allowed if a member is recused, disqualified, or if a member's term ends without a replacement. The Commission Chair can temporarily fill an opening on the Commission with a former member. The Governor can, at the request of the Commission Chair pick a temporary substitute to fill an opening on the Commission or extend the term of a current member until a replacement is appointed. Only individuals who meet the constitutional eligibility requirements may be recalled or appointed to the Commission. Against the Constitutional Amendment — A vote AGAINST the amendment means that current membership rules for the Commission stay the same. Temporary appointments are not allowed if a member is recused, disqualified, or if a member's term ends.
This is what appears on the ballot. Everything below explains it.
What it actually means
The Commission on Judicial Disabilities is the eleven-member body that investigates complaints against Maryland judges and recommends discipline. Its members are appointed by the governor with Senate consent, and it needs a quorum that includes a judge, a lawyer and a public member. When someone recuses themselves or a term runs out, the commission can stall. This amendment lets the chair recall a former member, or ask the governor to appoint a temporary substitute or extend a sitting member's term, until a permanent replacement is confirmed.
If you vote YES
- When a member is recused, disqualified, or their term expires without a replacement, the commission chair could recall a former member of the commission to serve temporarily.
- Alternatively, at the chair's request, the governor could appoint a temporary substitute member or extend the term of a current member until a permanent replacement is appointed.
- A temporary substitute would have to meet the same qualifications that applied to the member being replaced; a judge or lawyer would have to be in good standing with the Maryland Bar.
- Someone the Senate had previously rejected for appointment to the commission could not serve as a temporary substitute.
- The commission could keep investigating complaints — it received 396 in 2024 — without pausing for vacancies.
If you vote NO
- Vacancies on the commission would continue to be filled only by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, for the unexpired term.
- When a quorum lacks a judge, an attorney or a public member, the Supreme Court of Maryland could still, with the consent of the judge who is the subject of the complaint, designate a substitute for quorum purposes — the only existing workaround.
- Commission business could continue to be delayed by recusals, disqualifications and expired terms.
Why supporters say YES
We found none published in the sources reviewed.
Why opponents say NO
We found none published in the sources reviewed.
What’s genuinely uncertain
- Ballotpedia has located no arguments in opposition and no committee has registered on either side, so no arguments are presented rather than showing one column and not the other. The amendment was endorsed during the legislative process by Judge Anne Korbel Albright, who chairs the commission, and by the Maryland State Bar Association, whose advocacy director Shaoli Sarkar said it would let the commission "continue its work without delay due to member recusals or vacancies."
- No published account of how often commission business has actually been delayed by vacancies or recusals was located, so the size of the problem is not documented.
- No fiscal note was located.
The bottom line
Whether the body that disciplines Maryland judges should be able to seat temporary substitutes so it can keep working through recusals and vacancies, or whether every seat should be filled only by gubernatorial appointment with Senate consent.
One neutral sentence describing the tradeoff — not a recommendation.
Checking it against the official text
The Maryland State Board of Elections publishes the certified measures and, in most states, an official voter guide with fiscal notes. That is the authoritative version. Everything here is an explanation of it, not a substitute for it.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Maryland State Board of Elections.
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- Maryland's 7th congressional district