News & Commentary

It's hard to believe, but as the Baltimore Sun recently reported, Ronald Hammond is serving 20 years in prison for possessing less than a quarter ounce of marijuana - an amount so small that it's no longer a criminal offense in Maryland - because his guilty plea to a 2012 marijuana possession charge violated the terms of a ridiculously harsh 2010 probation sentence for selling $40 worth of cocaine.

Dear Governor-Elect Hogan,The ACLU of Maryland is deeply concerned with your appointment of Thomas E. "Tim" Hut

After a series of police killings in Maryland, and the police killing of unarmed Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, concern about police practices has dramatically increased. The ACLU of Maryland is continuing its long tradition of addressing police misconduct, racial profiling, and militarization, as well as empowering people to know their rights when interacting with police.

By Brittany Oliver, ACLU of Maryland

As states across the nation consider how to respond to cases of Ebola being diagnosed in the United States, the ACLU is encouraged that Maryland thus far has taken a sensible and fact-based approach. Government responses to Ebola - or any potential health threat - must be guided by sound medical science, not by fear and political posturing. But it is worth remembering that Maryland's measured response, in sharp contrast to actions taken by the governors in New York and New Jersey, is not just good policy. It is legally required thanks to changes made to state emergency powers in 2002, which the ACLU of Maryland was instrumental in shaping.

Photo from National Law Journal

Read the full opinion editorial on Rooflines.