I gave this prayer at the start of today’s session of the House of Delegates. During the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the desert. Judiciary Committee hearings only seem that long. During one lengthy afternoon, I came across this commentary about the seder, the oldest continually practiced …more >
Compromise is the order of the 90 days. Some examples from the 79th day. On the House floor, nobody raised concerns about my bill to criminalize certain conduct by either side of a referendum petition effort. A Rosenberg bill on election law usually generates skeptical (but misguided) questions from my Republican …more >
More than once this session, one of my Judiciary Committee colleagues has declared that the 2nd Amendment prohibits regulation of weapons in common use. When he said it again in a small group meeting about the Governor’s gun bill, I found this excerpt from Justice Scalia’s majority opinion in the Supreme Court decision that …more >
Take nothing for granted. That’s my mantra for the week. On my long list of bills, the only ones I’m working on this week are the ones that could still pass the House by Monday night and thereby avoid the Senate Rules Committee. If the amendment I drafted last night is not adopted …more >
I grade law students on their drafting in the fall semester. I drafted an amendment on the fly this afternoon. I’ll be graded on it twice. Here’s how this speed drafting came about. I had been told that there were no problems with the language that I wanted to add to a bill in another …more >
I had given the speech in my head countless times. This is what I said during yesterday’s floor debate on the death penalty. Earlier today, each of us passed the Thurgood Marshall statue on our way into the State House. In addition to Marshall, there is a statue of Donald Gaines Murray. He attended the …more >
Even if your bill does not pass, you can claim victory. A letter from a committee chair can ask a Cabinet Secretary to do what your bill would have required the agency to do. Such requests usually receive a positive response. The Secretary has an ongoing relationship with the chair. I suggested that two such …more >
After two hours of debate and the rejection of 18 amendments on the House floor last night, the votes are there. “This bill and this amendment, as well as those that will follow, pose a very straight forward question: Should we end the death penalty in Maryland?” I declared when speaking against the first amendment. …more >
I had my rhetorical spring training today. As the floor leader on death penalty repeal, I will be speaking quite a bit tomorrow and Friday. Today, I had a little practice. Our Republican friends were blustering against my legislation to authorize the Attorney General to seek a court injunction if there are reasonable grounds to …more >
“I still insist we take up the tax,” urged a Cabinet member. “He’s right. You’ve got to take up the tacks before you take up the carpet,” responded the President, in this instance, Rufus T. Firefly, played by Groucho Marx in “Duck Soup.” We will take up the gas tax. The public hearing on …more >
