Recent Articles from Editorial Advisory Board
The Supreme Court’s new ethics code
In a bow to critics, the U.S. Supreme Court released its new ethics code on Nov. 13, 2023, following revelations that justices accepted undisclosed luxury trips and engaged in conflicts of interest. The 15-page code of conduct co-signed by all nine justices is a new attempt by the high court to reveal what Chief Justice John Roberts says […]
Questions about Harborplace 2.0
Baltimore-based developer P. David Bramble of MCB Real Estate was selected by the city to revitalize and redevelop Harborplace and the area around Pratt Street and Light Street in downtown Baltimore. Bramble recently told The Times Media his vision for this important waterfront property; he’s thinking big in his plans and wants to be sure […]
Solving nonfatal shootings
In the first 27 days of October, Baltimore suffered 24 murders and 60 nonfatal shootings. The difference between life and death is often bad aim or good luck. The Marshall Project, a not-for-profit newsroom covering the U.S. criminal justice system, reports that most major U.S. police departments devote far fewer resources to solving nonfatal shootings […]
Protecting Maryland’s judges
In 2020 this board called for enhanced security for state court judges and their families following the murder of Judge Esther Salas’ son and the wounding of her husband at their New Jersey residence. In that case, the murderer was a deranged lawyer wearing a delivery uniform who had specifically targeted the judge. Very recently […]
The state is making a bad stadium deal
On May 2, 1988, the Baltimore Orioles and Maryland Stadium Authority signed a binding memorandum of understanding leading to issuance of bonds for the construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The legislature authorized these bonds after an impassioned presentation to the fiscal committees of the General Assembly by Edward Bennett Williams, then owner of […]
Ethical lapse in Montgomery County
A serious ethical lapse that recently took place in Montgomery County has yet to be properly addressed.
Kudos to Dean Ronald Weich
Dean Ronald Weich has announced his intention to leave the University of Baltimore School of Law at the end of this academic year in order to pursue other professional interests. For more than a decade, Weich had led UB Law with energy, enthusiasm, and intelligence. The law school and the greater Baltimore legal community will […]
Invest in Md. horse industry, not racing
A few years ago this board questioned the $375 million deal to keep the Preakness at Pimlico due to several concerns — cost to taxpayers, declining support among the public and the questionable future of horse racing in Maryland. The 2020 law passed committing more than $400 million to the deal, but due to rising […]
Disclosing all fees to tenants
Throughout this country the cost to rent a home or apartment has substantially increased in the last few years to a point where many either can’t afford a rental residence, or renting stretches their budgets so thin they need to find the rent money in their other expenditures, such as food and medicine. Coupled with […]
When court hearings need to be in person
At the height of the COVID pandemic, online hearings played an essential role in ensuring that courts were able to dispense any justice at all. The ability to resolve cases via Zoom enabled cases to continue to move without endangering the health and safety of judges, court staff, lawyers, and litigants. As the COVID pandemic […]
Trump should be kept off the ballot
The Maryland State Board of Elections is obligated under the U.S. Constitution to refuse to list Donald Trump on the Republican presidential primary ballot. The same with the general election, should Trump be the (unlawfully-designated) nominee of that party. The same goes for any electors pledged to Trump. All write-in ballots for Mr. Trump should be […]
Bruen ruling creates more problems than it solves
Recent decisions prove Bruen, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 gun rights case, has created a world of problems, as illustrated by the case of 57 year-old Jessie Bullock of Mississippi, who served 17 years for killing a man in a bar fight. 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1), enacted in 1938, creates a lifetime ban on the possession […]