Peanut Floors
In a slip-and-fall case, a federal court in Maryland ruled that a Texas Roadhouse franchisee created a “dangerous condition” by allowing patrons to throw peanuts shells on the floor.
Read moreMaryland
Fourth Circuit Skeptical of Maryland Ban on Rebroadcast of Court Recordings
The Fourth Circuit appeared unlikely Thursday afternoon to side with Maryland in a dispute over state courts’ ability to limit the dissemination of otherwise publicly available court recordings.
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Maryland Appeals Court Allows Rap Lyrics to Be Used in Murder Trial
Should someone’s creative work be used against them in a criminal trial? That was the question presented before the Maryland Court of Appeals earlier this year after rap lyrics sang in a jailhouse phone call were part of the state’s effort to convict Lawrence Montague of murder.
Read moreWhite’s Ferry
White’s Ferry, which has shuttled passengers and goods between Maryland and Virginia for more than 200 years, announced its closure Monday, citing a trial court ruling last month that found it had trespassed on property owned by Rockland Farm, LLC, after the termination of a license agreement. Rockland Farm said there was no final court order that would prevent the ferry from operating, and the decision to cease operations was “solely made by White’s Ferry.”
Read moreCensus Count
In line with its recent ruling in Trump v. New York, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered district courts in California and Maryland to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction challenges to President Donald Trump’s executive order directing census officials to exclude undocumented immigrants.
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Judge Refuses to Reinstate Rule for Dispensing Abortion Pill
A federal judge in Maryland has denied the Trump administration’s request to reinstate a rule that would require women to visit a hospital, clinic or medical office to obtain an abortion pill during the Covid-19 pandemic, noting that public health risks for patients only have grown worse.
Read moreMask Speech
A federal court in Maryland declined to reconsider a woman’s suit challenging Governor Larry Hogan’s order requiring face masks to be worn in retail and food shops and public transportation. The woman claimed the order violates her right to free speech “by literally blocking” her ability to speak clearly while wearing a mask.
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Opponent of Conversion-Therapy Ban Faces Uphill Battle at Fourth Circuit
An advocate for so-called gay conversion therapy could lose his challenge to Maryland’s ban on the practice because he lacks standing to sue, appellate judges indicated at a Fourth Circuit hearing Monday afternoon.
Read moreMedical Cannabis
Maryland courts, and not federal courts, have an interest in ensuing the state’s medical cannabis licensing procedures are in accordance with state law, a federal court in the state ruled, dismissing a dispute involving claims of racial discrimination in the state’s medical cannabis grower application process.
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Judge Won’t Restrain Psychiatrist’s Testimony of Gazette Shooter
A psychiatrist who has been unable to interview Maryland newsroom gunman Jarrod Ramos can still testify as to what he observed of the killer’s mental state, a Maryland judge ruled Friday.
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EPA Lags on Chesapeake Bay Cleanup, Duo of Lawsuits Claim
In a one-two punch Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency was hit with two federal complaints over its large-scale plan to protect the Chesapeake Bay, America’s largest estuary.
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En Banc Fourth Circuits Blocks Abortion Gag Rule in Maryland
The Trump administration’s rule barring clinics that receive federal funding from referring women for abortions cannot be enforced in the state of Maryland, the full Fourth Circuit ruled Thursday.
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Lawyers Spar Over Psychiatrist’s Analysis of Capital Gazette Shooter
Attorneys for the man who killed five people in a siege of the Capital Gazette’s Maryland newsroom fought Thursday to limit evidence from a psychiatrist who is ready to testify about the gunman’s mental state without having ever interviewed him.
Read moreWatchlists
A federal court in Maryland ruled that certain plaintiffs who are included in the government’s Terrorism Screening Database and various related watchlists may pursue their Religious Freedom Restoration Act claims against the government.
Read moreJudge Blocks Rule for In-Person Doctor Visits to Get Abortion Pill in Pandemic
A federal judge in Maryland Monday ruled that women seeking an abortion pill do not need to visit a clinic, hospital or medical office in person to obtain the medication during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read moreFourth Circuit Upholds Maryland’s Ban on ‘Rapid Fire Trigger’ Devices
The Fourth Circuit Monday upheld a Maryland law banning bump stocks and other gun attachments that speed up the firing rate of semiautomatic weapons.
Read moreCitizenship
A federal court in Maryland ruled that the State Department must recognize a same-sex couple’s child as a U.S. citizen. The department incorrectly applied immigration law, because the child, though born with a surrogate in Canada, was born of married parents who were both U.S. citizens that had lived in the U.S. before her birth.
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Man Shot in Albuquerque Civil Rights Protest
A man was shot Monday night as protesters in Albuquerque tried to tear down a bronze statue of a Spanish conquistador outside the Albuquerque Museum.
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