Sign In
Free Newsletter
Zirkin draws fire with bid for constitutional change
Criminal defense attorneys Tuesday sharply attacked a proposal to change the state constitution in order to undo the Maryland high court’s finding that the right to counsel attaches at the initial bail determination.
Md. Senate sends bail reform bill to House; battle expected
The bill now heads to the House of Delegates where it faces an uncertain future, according to Sen. Brian E. Frosh, D-Montgomery sponsor of the bill.
MSBA slams a bail bill
The Maryland State Bar Association will oppose a proposed amendment to the state constitution intended to overturn the Court of Appeals’ landmark decision requiring attorneys at the initial bail determination.
Senate advances “moneyball” bail system bill
The Maryland Senate is now just a vote away from approving a plan to rework the bail system and depend more on data, in what the bill's sponsor calls a "moneyball" approach.
Bail ruling spurs quest for constitutional amendment
Sen. Robert A. “Bobby” Zirkin on Wednesday introduced a constitutional amendment to undo the Maryland high court’s decision that people have the right to an attorney when bail is first set or denied.
Legislators meet in secret
It's not exactly the Papal conclave but legislators in Annapolis met behind closed doors Friday morning to discuss solutions to the Court of Appeals ruling requiring attorneys at bail hearings.
Leave bail ruling alone, advocates urge court
Attorneys for indigent defendants on Tuesday assailed Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler’s call for Maryland’s top court to overturn its landmark decision that arrestees have a state constitutional right to counsel at initial bail hearings.
Panel takes up pre-trial assessment bill
A proposal to replace initial bail hearings before court commissioners with objective pre-trial release risk assessments drew concern Tuesday from delegates leery of the project’s undetermined cost and the ability to assess accurately when a detainee can be released without presenting a threat to public safety.
Bail-reform bill would prioritize risk assessment
A proposal to replace initial bail hearings before Maryland District Court commissioners with objective pre-trial release risk assessments drew strong support Wednesday from Maryland’s chief public defender and Baltimore County’s top prosecutor.
Bail’s back in court
The Maryland Court of Appeals on Thursday agreed to hear the state’s request that it review a trial judge’s order that attorneys be provided for indigent suspects when their bail is set.
The decision of the judges is final, unless…
In the case of attorneys at initial bail hearing in Maryland that line might very well read: The decision of the judges shall remain final unless we don't like it.
Cost of bail decision could approach $500 million
The cost of implementing changes required by a September Court of Appeals ruling requiring public defenders at all judicial hearings, including those involving bail, could top $500 million over 10 years according to Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy.
