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EL SOUNDANI ELWAHHABI v. STATE OF MARYLAND
//August 24, 2018
Civil litigation — Prisoner’s motion to change name — Denial without explanation
Shawnte Anne Levy, the appellant, is incarcerated at the North Branch Correctional Institution. She would like the name on her prison identification badge to match her legal name. Pursuant to Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services policy, because her legal name is different now than when she was originally incarcerated, making the change on her prison identification badge requires an order from the sentencing judge amending her commitment record. Ms. Levy filed an unopposed motion for such an order from the Circuit Court for Howard County. Without explanation, the court denied Ms. Levy’s motion. The circuit court, again without explanation, also denied Ms. Levy’s unopposed motion to reconsider that decision. In her appeal, Ms. Levy asks us to reverse. The State finds itself unable to identify any rationale for the circuit court’s decision and suggests that we remand to allow the court to explain.
