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MDEC program could raise court filing fees
Maryland’s top judge will brief the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Tuesday afternoon about the Judiciary’s program for appointing attorneys to provide counsel to indigent defendants at initial bail hearings before district court commissioners.
Panel: Let OPD handle bail hearings
A state commission will urge the General Assembly next session to scrap the Judiciary’s program of appointing attorneys to represent indigent defendants at initial bail hearings in favor of having the public defender’s office handle the representation.
Committee redrafts rules for lawyers at bail
The incoming head of the Maryland District Court urged the state’s lawyers Friday to sign up to represent indigent arrestees at initial bail hearings — for free, if possible, or at a compensation rate of $50 per hour.
Top court weighs start date for lawyers-at-bail requirement
An attorney for indigent people said Maryland’s top court should immediately implement its landmark decision that they have a right to counsel at initial bail hearings, while a lawyer for the state urged a delay at least until the start of the fiscal year on July1.
Letter: Lawyers-at-bail discussions focus on wrong issue
The recent discussions over the Court of Appeals mandate for attorneys at bail reviews have focused on an interesting issue, the right of the Maryland legislature to delineate funds in the Maryland Judiciary's budget to pay for bail reviews. Interesting, but off the mark.
Attorney-bail issue spurs constitutional debate
The General Assembly was within its constitutional prerogative to earmark $10 million from the Maryland Judiciary’s budget and direct judges to appoint attorneys when needed to represent arrested individuals at initial bail hearings, constitutional scholars say.
Md. bail assessment tool differs from other states
Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he may issue an executive order creating a pilot program for reforms to criminal bail procedures.
Compromises fail on several high-profile Md. bills
Lawmakers' plans to allow shielding of certain criminal records and reform Maryland's bail system were lost in the shuffle of the legislative session's final days.
$10M solution ends wrangling on bail bills
The General Assembly has reached a $10 million resolution of a forthcoming Court of Appeals mandate that state-sponsored attorneys be available for arrested individuals at initial bail hearings before district court commissioners.
Bail bills go down to the wire
Sen. Brian E. Frosh enters his 28th and final sine die day Monday on the heels of a defeat.
Committee budgets $10 million for bail attorneys
The committee fine-tuning Maryland's budget has allocated $10 million to have attorneys staff initial bail hearings during the next fiscal year.
Zirkin puts constitutional amendment bill on ice
Sen. Robert A. “Bobby” Zirkin on Thursday called for an indefinite hold on his proposed constitutional amendment to undo a Maryland high court ruling that people have a right to counsel at initial bail hearings before court commissioners, saying he remains confident the lawmakers will vote to preserve Maryland’s two-tier system of pretrial hearings at reasonable cost to the state.
