Commentary

The U.S. Supreme Court granted cert in January for a case arguing violations of the Fifth Amendment due to unlawful taking without just compensation by the government and the Eighth Amendment for excessive fines and fees (Tyler v. Hennepin County). The case based in Minneapolis challenges the government’s ability to seize a property because of delinquent taxes, and profit from any remaining equity. The case stems from a tragic circumstance, when Geraldine Tyler fell behind on her property taxes of $2,300 in 2010. By the time all penalties, interest and fees were added in 2015, she owed $15,000.

In the 25 years since they were first uttered, I’ve never forgotten the words of a criminal defendant in Baltimore County Circuit Court: “I keep thinking maybe I could have done something more. But I’m only 21. How much could I do?” The guy who said that was one of three people charged in a horrible child abuse case. He lived in a house with his girlfriend, the girlfriend’s mother and two girls, one 9 and one 15. The three adults were all convicted of the second-degree murder of the younger girl.

As the world considers the life of Jimmy Carter, his legacy in one Baltimore neighborhood is more than an important memory. It’s a witness to hope and possibility. In 1992, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter came to the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood in West Baltimore to build homes with Sandtown Habitat for Humanity. At the time, there were some 1,000 vacant houses in the neighborhood, and the occupied rental houses were often substandard beyond words. Families frequently faced eviction for a few hundred dollars.

One of the curiosities to rise out of the Norfolk Southern train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, and caused a days-long fire, has been the outcry from Republican opinion leaders. High-profile conservatives — from U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas — have questioned whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation and President Joe Biden have done enough to help Upper Ohio Valley residents and protect other U.S. communities from similar disasters.

Oyster aquaculture is a growing industry in the state of Maryland. Similar to watermen, these intrepid individuals and companies utilize the water column or bottom of the Bay to cultivate and harvest farmed oysters. The industry has achieved steady growth since the allowance for aquaculture leases in 2010. In turn, generating new jobs and economic multipliers. One major contributor to pollution in the Bay and cause of subsequent harmful impact on its natural resources is the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam (formerly owned by Exelon Generation Company, LLC, now Constellation Energy). Since beginning operations more than 90 years ago, the dam has blocked fish from traveling upstream to spawn and eels that carry the larvae of freshwater mussels. This has significantly reduced the millions of fish that once traveled up the Susquehanna River and impaired the filtration capability of freshwater mussel populations.

It was one of those dreary, cold and windy days — so much so that I was certain to pass on my usual neighborhood walk and spend the day in a sour mood. Then at mid-morning my daughter-in-law’s sister, Negin, called me, suggesting we go to lunch. “But the weather,” I responded. “Come on,” she said laughing, “we can do it.” She picked me up an hour later and decided we’d try a new, nearby restaurant that was built to look like a train dining car. The diner was a bright spot in our turn off the main road — literally. It was lit up with more silvery bulbs than you could count. As we entered the shiny car, we were quickly greeted by a young, smiling host, who appeared to be somewhat nervous.

If Dante had needed a 10th circle of hell, he might have chosen a faculty meeting. A half-dozen universities were already operating in Italy by the time his Inferno began circulating in the 14th century. Readers who have spent time in these gatherings — at any level — will likely know what I mean. Yet, even faculty gatherings produce, on rare occasions, more than just bitter battles over small stakes. I attended one of these gems last week at the Fowler School of Law at Chapman University. Professor Mario Mainero gave a riveting presentation on artificial intelligence and legal education. AI has been much in the headlines recently after the debut of ChatGPT, a relatively young iteration of software with untold room to improve. And yet: ChatGPT can pass law school-level exam questions.