Baltimore mayor focuses on public safety in 2022 State of the City address

The speech comes just days after video surfaced showing standstill traffic Saturday night just blocks away from City Hall as some drivers performed dangerous burnouts and donuts, blocking traffic on the roads. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott delivered his annual State of the City address Tuesday afternoon. This comes as City Hall reopened to the public Monday and hosted the City Council’s first public in-person meeting in more than two years.

Mikulski endorses Katie Curran O’Malley in Md. attorney general race

Barbara A. Mikulski, a legend in Maryland Democratic politics and the state’s first female senator, endorsed former judge Katie Curran O’Malley in the competitive primary race to be attorney general. Mikulski said in a statement that she has known O’Malley for decades and believes “she is uniquely qualified” to become the state’s first female attorney general. The closely watched contest pits former allies against each other to succeed Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D), who is retiring. Maryland has not elected a Republican attorney general since 1952.

The New Congressional Map: Winners and Losers

There were clear losers and obvious winners when Republican Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. on Monday signed the second congressional map that the General Assembly passed. This came after Democratic legislators dropped their appeal to a court ruling overturning their first congressional map. But there were some less obvious winners and losers as well.

With congressional redistricting done, Hogan has dozens of other veto decisions to make

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) dispatched with one of the most closely watched bills sent to his office this legislative session on Monday, signing a new set of congressional district boundaries into law. But the Democratic majority in the General Assembly voted last week to send dozens of other bills to the governor’s desk early this legislative session, a move that will force the governor to act on the measures by the end of this week and allow the legislature to override any potential vetoes before the 90-day session ends next Monday at midnight.

Don’t confuse decriminalization, legalization, Md. court tells defense lawyers

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.

Maryland Lawmakers OK Bill Outlawing Practice Of Declawing Cats

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.

Trial of Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby postponed until September, federal judge rules

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.

Cannabis bill leaves champions of criminal justice reform dissatisfied

Maryland legislators drew criticism for the rollout of the state’s medical marijuana industry, which awarded no licenses to Black business owners. So as they undertook plans this year for legalizing recreational marijuana, they struggled — not just with expanding opportunities for those shut out of the lucrative industry but with the responsibility many felt to begin unwinding decades of failed U.S. drug policies.

Md. has $400 million plan for Commanders, but it won’t build a stadium

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.

Special Magistrate Says Court of Appeals Should Deny Challenges to Maryland’s State Legislative Map

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.