1. The case of Brown v. Atlantic Apothecary was heard in the Court of Appeals of Maryland, this court is the higher of the two intermediate appellate courts in the Maryland state court system. Mrs. Smith's case is being heard in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Maryland which is a trial court of the Maryland state court system. Brown v. Atlantic Apothecary has mandatory authority in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Maryland because it is a higher court in the same judicial system therefore it has jurisdiction to set precedence as a mandatory/binding authority