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Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Eastern Baltimore County residents divided over councilmanic redistricting maps
Some Eastern Baltimore County residents are divided over multiple proposals for the county's councilmanic redistricting plan, with concerns about fair representation and splitting existing communities dominating a somewhat tense hearing Monday evening. Baltimore County's 2025 Councilmanic Redistricting Commission, a seven-member group tasked with drawing boundaries of nine new councilmanic districts, is considering two main maps ahead of the 2026 election. The first draft map, published by the commission in April, includes two majority Black districts and one majority-minority district made up of racial and ethnic minorities. Maryland state Del. Kathy Szeliga and Del. Ryan Nawrocki, both Republicans who represent portions of eastern Baltimore County, said they supported the first draft because it unified Middle River and Essex. Gustavus McLeod, executive director of the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum, agreed. 'People who have things in common should have a common voice,' he said. 'Number 1 plan does that.' But to Shafiyq Hinton, who ran for council in 2022, the first map is a 'clear effort to crack, dilute and silence diverse voices on the east side,' he said. However, a second draft map proposed by Lisa Belcastro, a Pikesville resident who represents the existing councilmanic District 2 on the commission, would create two majority Black districts centered on Randallstown and Owings Mills, and two districts made up of people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Support for the second iteration of the map was limited. Some said it looked closer to a final product, while others alleged it was backed by developers. A third map was proposed by Keith Dorsey, Baltimore County's former budget chief. Known as the Woodlawn Approach C, his map would create two greater-majority Black districts around Woodlawn and Randallstown, as well as a simple majority-minority district on the eastern side of the county. 'It is the only plan that truly begins and ends with trying to recognize those historic communities,' he said. Still, others argued that an entirely different map would best represent the county demographics. A map that creates three majority Black districts on the west side, a majority BIPOC district on the east side and five majority white districts would most accurately represent Baltimore County's population, said Dana Vickers Shelley, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. The county's population is nearly 50% people of color. 'Packing Black voters into two districts on the west side dilutes the power of Black voters by overconcentrating them in fewer districts,' she said. 'The Voting Rights Act requires that districts be drawn in a way that provides Black and BIPOC residents an equal opportunity — and I say residents, not voters, because this is what it is about: being represented.' Tension and controversy have marked discussions about the expanding council even before county voters approved the charter amendment in November to create a nine-member council. The council currently has seven districts. Some had argued that the redrawn council boundaries could violate federal civil rights law and others threw accusations about backroom deals. 'I see so much divide amongst my Black people in this room and my Democrats, and it's a problem because we should all be standing together, Democrats, Republicans, white or Black,' said county resident Tamara Gunter. The commission will hold its final public hearing at 6 p.m. May 19 at the Randallstown Community Center. Have a news tip? Contact Natalie Jones at najones@
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine's public defense agency files a plan to solve constitutional crisis
Apr. 3—Maine's public defense agency says it will redirect several employees at its central office who oversee billing and training to instead work on finding lawyers for criminal defendants who have spent weeks or months waiting for an attorney. Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy had given the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services one month to share how they can increase representation after finding the state agency was violating Mainers' Sixth Amendment rights to representation as part of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine. (The ACLU said it's still waiting to see if Murphy will find the entire state liable.) Murphy suggested last month that the state's new public defenders, particularly those who are more experienced, should take on more cases. She also criticized the commission for relying on a messy spreadsheet compiled by court clerks, instead of tracking criminal defendants themselves. As of Monday, there were approximately 400 pre-trial criminal defendants who needed an attorney, according to a list maintained by the courts. Roughly 140 had been on the list for more than two months. And at least 70 were in jail, with about 25 having been in custody for more than two weeks. The commission agreed Thursday to reassign some administrative staff to focus on tracking and finding counsel for the state's unrepresented cases. As a result, some training will be placed on hold and staff will "adjust the level of scrutiny given to vouchers" submitted by attorneys seeking reimbursement for public defense work. The new plan also suggested offering new incentives for private attorneys to join the commission's rosters, and emergency discussions on altering "perceived barriers" to the application process. (Some observers, including Gov. Janet Mills, have criticized the commission's caseload limits and eligibility requirements. The commission has previously disputed these are to blame.) Much of the plan included only short-term commitments as the commission hopes to get more funding so it can increase its public defense presence throughout Maine, a state that relied exclusively on private, court-appointed lawyers until 2022. Today, four of the state's five criminal public defense offices are less than a year old and still ramping up. Several counties in the Midcoast and southern Maine still don't have public defenders. RELEASE, DIMISSAL DEADLINES The commission wrote in court records that the number of defendants who need attorneys continues to drop, demonstrating their attention to the crisis. On March 7, when Murphy issued her last order, there were 85 defendants who were in jail and needed lawyers. A month later, only six of those defendants are still in jail without an attorney, the commission stated. The reduction "resulted from the continuing efforts" of their staff and public defenders to representing their clients, the commission wrote. The filing also contains several exhibits, including letters to prosecutors requesting they reevaluate some of the cases that have been languishing the longest and the commission's budget requests. The plan submitted Thursday was part of a larger order issued by Murphy last month. It includes an April 7 hearing, for the judge to lay out her process for releasing anyone from jail who has been unrepresented for at least 14 days, unless the state can find them an attorney within the following week. She said she would drop charges against anyone who has waited more than 60 days for a lawyer (charges could be re-filed when an attorney is available.) The potential release of those defendants has frightened victims' rights advocates, lawmakers and the governor. Civil rights advocates who have been following Maine's crisis from other states say Murphy's deadlines aren't unusual, and similar timelines have been ordered in Oregon and Missouri. "It's not just about funding lawyers to help guilty people get free — it's about funding our system so that the system works in as fair and accurate a way as possible. And that benefits all of us," said Daniel Medwed, a former public defender and professor at Northeastern University's School of Law. EMERGENCY LEGISLATION Meanwhile, lawmakers agreed Thursday afternoon to advance emergency legislation attempting to address the crisis. LD 1101 would allow judges to appoint and pay an attorney who hasn't been approved by the commission — but only if no approved lawyers are available. Lawmakers made several changes to the bill Thursday to address concerns the commission's director raised last month, questioning how these lawyers could be held accountable or paid accurately. The commission's Director Jim Billings said it would be premature for him to comment on the bill before the rest of the Legislature votes on it. The bill now comes with a Feb. 1, 2026, sunset, and also clarifies that these non-rostered lawyers still have to have three years of related experience. Judges also can't appoint and pay anyone who has previously been disqualified by the commission and these attorneys have to use the same reimbursement voucher process as everyone else doing public defense. The same bill includes more than $3 million for the commission to hire five new public defenders and additional support staff. Despite the bill's bipartisan support — it was introduced by Democrats and endorsed by Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart — the governor has not weighed in on the latest version and has previously opposed the commission's requests for more funding until the organization rolls back its eligibility requirements and caseload limits. The governor's office didn't not respond to an email, seeking her reaction to the amended version of the bill. Copy the Story Link
Boston Globe
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
ACLU of Mass.: Khalil's arrest evokes darkest days of McCarthyism
Advertisement But let's be clear: The First Amendment protects all people in the United States. Colleges and universities must remain pillars of free expression and open inquiry. Students and faculty — regardless of their nationality or immigration status — must be able to freely engage in political discourse without fear of official retaliation. Massachusetts academic leaders should reject the Trump administration's attempted censorship of students and faculty and stand firm against any attempt to punish international and immigrant members of their communities for their political speech and beliefs. Carol Rose Executive director Jessie Rossman Legal director American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts Boston
