Maryland Officials Break Ground on New $147 Million Supreme Court Building

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (center) and state officials and project stakeholders held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new $147 million, 217,000-square-foot Maryland Supreme Court building on Feb. 26. | Photo Credit: Office of Gov. Wes Moore

What You Need to Know

• Gov. Wes Moore and state leaders broke ground Feb. 26 on a new Maryland Supreme Court building in Annapolis.
• The $147 million, six-story facility is designed to replace the 54-year-old Courts of Appeal building and consolidate appellate court functions.
• State officials said the project is expected to create more than 800 construction jobs and be completed in early 2029.
• The courthouse is planned as a fully electric building targeted for LEED Silver certification, with expanded security and public features including a law library and law history museum.

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other state officials broke ground on a new Supreme Court building in Annapolis that state leaders describe as a long-planned investment in the state’s judicial infrastructure.

The $147 million project is expected to create more than 800 construction jobs and wrap up in early 2029, according to a release from the governor’s office.

At the ceremony, Moore framed the project as a statement about the judiciary’s role in Maryland. “Today’s groundbreaking is not just about a building, it’s about a powerful symbol of our unwavering commitment to justice in the State of Maryland,” said Gov. Moore.

The planned six-story, 217,000-square-foot facility was designed by Fentress Studios, a Populous Company. It will replace the 54-year-old Courts of Appeal building and include one courtroom for the Supreme Court of Maryland, three courtrooms for the Appellate Court of Maryland, and chambers and office space for 19 judges from both courts.

According to Fentress, the new facility will meet “demands of a 21st-century courts facility while integrating stately classical elements.” The building will include restored historic marble columns from Benjamin Latrobe’s 19th-century Baltimore Exchange behind the benches in each of the appellate courtrooms, as well as restored and reused mahogany panels and plaster castings from the 1910 Supreme Court. Fentress also said that decorative features specific to the state of Maryland will be present throughout the building, including Black-eyed Susan state flower motifs and dancing crab designs on the building’s spandrels.

State officials and Fentress representatives said the new courthouse is targeted to achieve LEED Silver certification, and will be the first all-electric public building in the state of Maryland. The project also includes enhanced security and emergency response systems intended to protect judges, litigants, staff and visitors, along with a law library and a Maryland law history museum.

Lieutenant Gov. Aruna Miller highlighted the project’s sustainability and participation goals for minority- and veteran-owned businesses. “By building a fully electric, sustainable facility that exceeds our minority and veteran-owned business participation goals, we are showing that progress and equity can go hand in hand,” said Miller.

The contract was approved by the Board of Public Works in December 2025 and awarded to Bethesda, Md.-based Coakley & Williams Construction. The governor’s office said the work will include 13 certified minority business enterprise firms and three certified veteran-owned small business enterprise firms as subcontractors, representing nearly $74 million in subcontracting value.

Maryland Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew J. Fader said the building is intended to reflect the state’s legal commitments and to serve as the home for appellate courts and the Thurgood Marshall State Law Library. “The new home for Maryland’s appellate courts and the Thurgood Marshall State Law Library will stand as an appropriate reflection of the State’s commitment to the rule of law and to equal justice under law,” said Fader.

This article is based on a press release from the Office of Governor Wes Moore on Feb. 26, 2026.