Very few bills pass without being amended. At the same time, the fewer amendments your bill needs the better. The committee may think you didn’t put enough thought into drafting the bill before you introduced it. Two examples today: A state law can preempt an area of law. The statute prevents local governments from legislating …more >
It’s the first day of the legislative session. We hope it will be a 90-day session, pandemic and vaccines willing. My day consisted of the routine and hopefully the profound. My first virtual bill hearing is Friday. Under the new rules, I had to submit my testimony by 3:00 today. I met the deadline. My …more >
Impeaching the president “will only divide our country more,” Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has declared. President Trump “incited violence against the government of the United States,” reads House Joint Resolution 755, when he spoke to the crowd of his supporters, when he cast unjustified doubt about the validity of the election for months beforehand, and …more >
How to respond to President Trump’s phone call with the Secretary of State of Georgia? The voters of Georgia will speak on Tuesday. The Republican members of Congress will speak the next day. I am cautiously optimistic about the former, given the turnout numbers. I have scant hope for the dozen Senators and 140+ House …more >
I first became aware of the importance of being represented by a lawyer when I was 14 years old. That’s when I read Gideon’s Trumpet, the book about Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court case that held a criminal defendant facing a jail sentence is entitled to a lawyer. As a legislator, I’ve worked to …more >
More than a year ago, I began meeting with the neighborhoods on all sides of Pimlico Race Track. The goal was to create an advisory group for redevelopment decisions that affected these diverse communities. Our discussions went very well. We called our written agreement a Community Compact. In one of his last acts as Mayor, …more >
For several years, Paul Sarbanes was a guest at the Legislation class that I co-teach at the University of Baltimore Law School. He engaged the students in his methodical approach to legislation – from the Watergate impeachment inquiry to the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley accounting reform. When the class ended, he would work the room …more >
It was if I had written the script. A builder filed a $25 million lawsuit against the residents of the Clipper Mill community who objected to his proposed development. This is a SLAPP suit. A Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation is designed to intimidate citizens from participating in a public process. To keep them from …more >
The statue of Thurgood Marshall will soon return to Lawyers Mall. The mall is the gathering place for demonstrations in front of the State House in Annapolis. For the last two years, it’s been torn up to replace the utility pipes underneath. http://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-lawyers-mall-20201127-nloktrxrhbhmfcwgce4wmcce6u-story.html) The statue of Thurgood Marshall in Lawyers Mall was Delegate Pete Rawlings’ …more >
I completed my 26th semester last night. I’ve co-taught the Legislation class at the University of Maryland School of Law since 1995. One of the guest speakers yesterday had taken the class when he was a student. Senate President Bill Ferguson. He discussed what he learned as a Teach for America civics teacher at Southwestern …more >
