U.S. House files brief in support of Baltimore’s ACA lawsuit
The U.S. House of Representatives filed a brief Friday in support of Baltimore’s lawsuit over the Trump administration’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act, alleging “significant efforts to undermine” the act’s goals. The lawsuit, filed last August in U.S. District Court in Maryland by Baltimore and other U.S. cities, accuses President Donald Trump and his [&he[...]
Some House members consider taking a pay raise this year
WASHINGTON — Some senior House lawmakers, frustrated by a decade of frozen congressional salaries, are quietly exploring whether to accept an annual pay raise that they’ve shunned since Barack Obama was first president. It’s a longshot at best, requiring comity that’s in short supply in a Congress riven with partisanship. More than two-thirds of House […]
Number of women judges on the rise in Md., but still under 40 percent
The story comes from a time before Justice Sandra Day O’Connor took her seat, astronaut Sally Ride took flight and Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the gavel at the U.S. House of Representatives.
Senate: Make it tougher to close post offices
WASHINGTON — A Senate bill aimed at saving the U.S. Postal Service would make it harder to close thousands of low-revenue post offices and end Saturday mail delivery, even though the struggling agency says those moves are just what’s needed to reduce its massive debt and become profitable again. The measure takes steps to help […]
House of Delegates OKs congressional redistricting plan
ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland House of Delegates approved Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley’s congressional redistricting map Wednesday, the third day of a special session to redraw the districts of the state’s eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The map, which Republicans decried as gerrymandering to oust a GOP congressman, is identical to a bill […]
Kratovil, Gregory vie for district court judgeship in Queen Anne’s County
Former U.S. Rep. Frank M. Kratovil Jr. and David W. “Chip” Gregory, who battled each other in a race for Queen Anne’s County state’s attorney in 2002, are once again competing for a job. Kratovil, who won that election fight, and Gregory have applied for a judgeship on the Queen Anne’s County District Court. They, […]
Cardin: Afghanistan withdrawal can be sped up
WASHINGTON — Sen. Benjamin Cardin says he believes President Barack Obama’s timeline for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan can be sped up. Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, wrote in a statement late Wednesday that he believes the United States “can be more aggressive in bringing our troops home.” He said troop withdrawal “should be sped up.” Obama’s […]
C. Fraser Smith: Redistricting is a numbers game that matters
Perhaps you think redistricting is a boring enterprise devoid of real-world consequence for the rest of us. You would be wrong. Had there been no redistricting in 2001, Maryland would have had slot machine gambling a decade ago (more on this later). Had there been no rebalancing of Maryland’s districts (redistricting) in 1990, Tom McMillen […]
CJA-panel defense lawyers’ pay suspended
In the latest fallout from the fight in Washington over how to trim the federal budget, payments to private attorneys who represent indigent criminal defendants in federal court have been suspended. “This is very troubling, and I’m very concerned it’s going to have an impact on the criminal justice system and the quality of defense […]
Jurors begin deliberations in DeLay trial
AUSTIN, Texas — The fate of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is now in the hands of a jury. Jurors in DeLay’s money laundering trial in Austin began deliberating Monday following more than three hours of closing arguments. In their final pitch to jurors, prosecutors said the former Republican lawmaker gave his blessing […]
Jobless claims rise but broader trend offers hope
WASHINGTON — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits barely rose last week, offering some hope that the job market may be improving. But claims need to fall further to bring down the 9.6 percent unemployment rate. Initial claims for jobless aid increased by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 439,000, the Labor Department said […]
Maryland 1st District race for Congress saw cash influx
Maryland’s most expensive House race got a last-minute rush of cash from across the country, but its full magnitude won’t be clear until financial reports are due next month. The candidates in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District took in at least $200,000 between Oct. 21 and the Nov. 2 election, according to Federal Election Commission filings. […]