Nominations are in the (green) bag. The story behind a distinctive Maryland political tradition.

A decades-old green leather bag containing the names of gubernatorial appointees made its annual trip down the marble State House stairs Friday, handing off the final decision to the Maryland Senate. Tisha Edwards, Gov. Moore’s appointments secretary and facilitator of the process, delivered hundreds of names to Senate President Bill Ferguson in the purse, handcrafted and embossed with the state seal, before the fortieth day of the legislative session as required by the state constitution. The ceremonial handoff of names between the coequal branches marks a Maryland tradition researchers have traced back well over a century, and one, historically, that has been symbolic of political favor. Edwards, however, made it clear that’s not what’s happening here. Her team opened the application process, inviting anyone to serve as influential government advisers.