Maryland

Citing mootness, Supreme Court tosses case of disability law tester who ‘singlehandedly generated a circuit split’

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed as moot a case of a disability law tester and directed a federal appeals court to vacate the opinion in her case.

Dec 5, 2023 11:04 AM CST

Federal appeals court strikes down Maryland law requiring ‘handgun qualification license’

A Maryland law requiring those who want handguns to wait up to 30 days for a “handgun qualification license” violates the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled last week.

Nov 27, 2023 3:21 PM CST

Former Baltimore state’s attorney convicted for claiming pandemic hardship to get retirement cash

Federal jurors in Greenbelt, Maryland, convicted former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby on two counts of perjury Thursday for lying about COVID-19 pandemic hardship to take early withdrawals totaling $90,000 from her city retirement fund.

Nov 10, 2023 9:39 AM CST

5 jurisdictions commit to using NextGen bar exam

Five jurisdictions have committed to administering the NextGen bar exam, the National Conference of Bar Examiners announced on Wednesday.

Nov 1, 2023 3:42 PM CDT

Suspect in fatal shooting of judge found dead 1 mile from abandoned vehicle

Updated: A divorce litigant named as the suspect in the fatal shooting of a Maryland judge was found dead in a wooded area Thursday.

Oct 26, 2023 2:05 PM CDT

‘Bad boy’ postnup clause can be enforced in Maryland, top state court says

Maryland public policy allows enforcement of a $7 million “bad boy” postnuptial clause that penalizes a spouse for adultery, the Maryland Supreme Court has ruled.

Aug 31, 2023 11:11 AM CDT

Law banning transgender students from female sports likely unconstitutional, 9th Circuit says

A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled for a transgender college student who challenged an Idaho law that bars transgender athletes from participating in women’s and girls' student sports in public schools.

Aug 17, 2023 2:55 PM CDT

Expert can’t offer ‘unqualified opinion’ that crime scene bullets match suspect’s gun, top state court says

A ballistics expert can testify that bullets at a crime scene are consistent with patterns on bullets fired from a suspect’s gun but can’t offer an “unqualified opinion” of a match, the Maryland Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

Jun 21, 2023 12:48 PM CDT

Judge’s ‘Beowulf’ and Whistler’s mother references raise concerns with Maryland justices

An appeals judge who compared a Black defendant to a monster in the epic poem Beowulf used language that could be interpreted as evoking racial stereotypes, according to the Maryland Supreme Court.

Jun 1, 2023 10:40 AM CDT

Criminal defense lawyer convicted for conspiracy to launder drug cash loses federal appeal

A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of a criminal defense lawyer accused of using his position as a law firm partner to help two clients launder drug money.

Apr 26, 2023 3:12 PM CDT

Former prosecutor gets prison time for stalking by subpoena

A former homicide prosecutor in Baltimore has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for using subpoenas to obtain confidential phone records that provided personal information about two former girlfriends.

Apr 24, 2023 12:01 PM CDT

Court watch movement is growing in numbers and public attention

For the past two years, singer-songwriter Fiona Apple has volunteered with Courtwatch PG, the largest court watch program in the country, to observe legal proceedings in Prince George’s County, Maryland, from her home in Los Angeles. Apple has also joined a group of advocates calling attention to the concept of court watching and aiming to get more people involved.

Apr 19, 2023 8:24 AM CDT

Murder conviction of Adnan Syed of ‘Serial’ podcast fame is reinstated because of notice issue

Adnan Syed's February 2000 conviction for the murder of his ex-girlfriend has been reinstated because the victim's brother got insufficient notice of a hearing last year in which a judge vacated the conviction.

Mar 28, 2023 4:15 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Lawyer’s Super Bowl ad leads to litigation; 2 BigLaw firms end merger talks

NFL objects to firm’s Super Bowl ad, leading to suit The Dimopoulos Law Firm in Las Vegas is seeking a declaratory judgment that its Super Bowl commercial did not infringe trademarks of NFL Properties and the Las Vegas Raiders. The law firm sued after the NFL sent a cease-and-desist letter.…

Mar 3, 2023 2:27 PM CST

Judge scolds Reed Smith partner for ‘theatrics and profanity’ but says criminal contempt doesn’t apply

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a Reed Smith partner can’t be punished by criminal contempt for violations of local court rules, even though his “theatrics and profanity" are "contrary to the traditions of civility and collegiality" of the court.

Feb 22, 2023 2:21 PM CST