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Gene Policinski: Free speech rights travel at speed of bytes
As it made the quantum leap from parchment to paper through the electronic era to digital formats, First Amendment law on freedom of expression has lagged behind technology. Today, this delayed legal reaction is playing out once again with Twitter, Facebook and the World Wide Web.
Court of Appeals to hear Montgomery FOP case
The Maryland Court of Appeals on Monday agreed to hear a dispute over whether the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 has collected enough signatures to challenge a Montgomery County law that removed the FOP’s collective bargaining rights over some areas of daily operational decisions, known as “effects bargaining.” An outside firm hired by the […]
Charles C. Haynes: The perils and politics of ‘don’t say gay’
If 20 Republican lawmakers in Missouri have their way, it will soon be illegal for administrators, teachers and even students to talk about homosexuality in the state’s public schools. Derided as the “don’t say gay” bill by opponents, HB 2051 “prohibits the discussion of sexual orientation in public school instruction, material or extracurricular activity except […]
I hope all dogs go to heaven
Within minutes of talking to me, it is fairly obvious that I am an animal lover and take great joy in spending time with my two dogs, Dexter and Luca. In fact, it very well might be my favorite thing to do. So, in honor of my two great loves, I type this post in […]
Bill proposes negotiation rights for state workers
ANNAPOLIS — A state Senate panel will hear testimony on a bill to expand collective bargaining rights to certain state employees Sen. Catherine Pugh’s bill, which would extend salary negotiation options to workers in the Office of the Comptroller, the Maryland Transportation Authority, the State Retirement Agency and the Maryland State Department of Education, will […]
Law students going door to door to spread word on foreclosure rights
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY — When Gabriel Rodriguez-Rico and Danielle Dean met one recent Saturday in Prince George’s County to help residents of foreclosed homes, they ended up heeding, in a way, the advice they were handing out: “Don’t move. Don’t panic. You have time.” “That is a huge dog,” Dean said about two hours into […]
AG Holder vows to protect voting rights
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder vowed Tuesday to fully enforce civil rights protections in next year’s elections amid a flurry of activity by states to redraw political boundaries and impose requirements that could reduce voting by minorities who enthusiastically supported Barack Obama in the 2008 election. Giving his most expansive speech on civil rights […]
Supreme Court weighs water rights in dam dispute
WASHINGTON — A Supreme Court dominated by Easterners tried to make sense Wednesday of a Western water dispute. The court heard arguments in a lawsuit between a power company and the state of Montana over who owns the riverbeds beneath 10 dams sitting on three Montana rivers. The state says it’s owed more than $50 […]
Court upholds GPS tracker on worker’s car
ALBANY, N.Y. — A midlevel New York court on Wednesday upheld the state use of a tracking device on an employee’s private car to investigate whether he was skipping work and falsifying time sheets. The Appellate Division panel split over whether that secret Global Positioning System tracking in 2008 violated Michael Cunningham’s constitutional privacy rights. […]
Md. Court of Appeals weighs child vs. parent interests
ANNAPOLIS — The Court of Appeals grappled Wednesday with whether a troubled mother should be allowed to preserve her parental rights in light of her daughter’s flourishing relationship with foster parents who want to adopt her. Judge Joseph F. Murphy Jr. summed up the case before the high court as pitting “the irresistible force” of […]
