Politics

A Maryland appeals court has expressed exasperation with defense attorneys who it said confuse decriminalization with legalization when trying to suppress the introduction of evidence found in their clients’ automobiles by police officers who saw or smelled small amounts of marijuana before conducting their search. The confusion is based on the “tendency … of defense counsel to overread, stubbornly  and massively,” Maryland’s 2014 law that made possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana a civil offense sanctionable by a $100 fine rather than a crime punishable by incarceration, the Court of Special Appeals stated in a reported 3-0 opinion Monday.

The Maryland House of Delegates passed a measure Monday that would make declawing cats illegal in Maryland. Delegates voted 102-24 in favor of Senate Bill 67, which previously cleared the state Senate by a 32-14 vote late last month. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Larry Hogan, whose signature would make Maryland the second state in the U.S. to outlaw the practice of declawing. Under the legislation, it would be illegal for veterinarians and residents to perform declawing procedures on cats unless it is necessary to deal with a medical condition.

A federal judge approved Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s request to postpone her criminal trial, setting a new date in September. After a teleconference with Mosby’s defense lawyers and federal prosecutors Tuesday morning, U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby scheduled the trial for Sept. 19. It’s unclear how many days Griggsby set aside for the trial, but prosecutors said in a February status report they anticipated trying the case in four days.

Maryland’s incentive package to keep the Washington Commanders in Landover would spend $400 million in the area around FedEx Field, but it forbids building a stadium for the team. The proposal, approved by a legislative committee Monday, is Maryland’s first public bid in the multistate courtship for the team and the economic boon a new National Football League stadium could create.

A special magistrate recommended Monday that the Court of Appeals deny all four cases challenging Maryland’s new state legislative map. All four petitions contended that the maps passed by the General Assembly earlier this year violate the Maryland Constitution’s requirement that legislative districts be compact and respect natural and political boundaries.

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. pitched a slate of new Baltimore County Police positions on Monday and another pool of money for hiring bonuses, calling public safety one of government’s most “sacred” responsibilities. Flanked by Police Chief Melissa Hyatt, Olszewski described the proposals as a way of further strengthening the police department through improved officer wellness, quicker investigations and more data analysis.

Maryland appears set to become the second state to ban declawing of cats, something animal welfare advocates consider a “barbaric” practice. Critics say declawing is already rare, though, and that the measure would infringe on the judgment of veterinarians. The General Assembly approved a bill Monday that would outlaw any procedure removing a portion of a cat’s claws or paws, except in the case of a medical condition compromising the animal’s well-being. It would not affect practices to file or trim cat claws.