Latest news with #MarylandJudiciary
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Baltimore judge places temporarily hold on over 1,250 Child Victims Act cases
A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge Monday put on hold over 1,250 civil cases filed under the Maryland Child Victims Act pending further guidance from the state's highest court. The administrative order from Administrative Judge and Chief Judge Audrey J.S. Carrión, sought to 'to address the unprecedented influx of cases filed in recent weeks and months' under the law, which eliminated the statute of limitations for civil child sex abuse cases and went into effect in October 2023. The action won't terminate any cases or keep people from filing new cases under the law, Carrión wrote in the order. 'The decision to stay these cases is in large part due to ongoing discussions about possible ways to manage these cases collectively for pretrial and discovery purposes,' she wrote. The Maryland Judiciary's rules committee is considering recommending changes to the state's high court 'to establish a clear process for the circuit courts to efficiently manage the high volume of similarly situated CVA cases,' the order says. The court will wait for 'further guidance' from the rules committee and the Supreme Court of Maryland before the cases can proceed. 'In reaching the decision to temporarily stay these cases, the Court has weighed the understandable desire of parties to proceed with litigating these cases as well as the need for consistency, efficiency, and fairness,' Carrión's order says. An change to the law came into effect June 1, placing new limits on the payouts possible, with the state's liability dropping from a potential $890,000 to $400,000 per claim. Claims against private institutions shrank from a $1.15 million ceiling to $700,000. Leading up to June 1, 'there was a significant uptick in cases' under the law in Baltimore City Circuit Court, the order says. Sun reporter Luke Parker contributed to this story. Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@ 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.
CBS News
01-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Jury selection begins in packed courtroom for trial of murdered Maryland mother Rachel Morin
More than 120 potential jurors were questioned on Tuesday as attorneys prepare to make their cases in the high-profile trial in the murder of Rachel Morin, a mother of five, who was found raped and murdered off a Harford County trail in 2023. Questions arose over whether the jury selection process had been handled constitutionally in the case against Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an undocumented migrant accused of Morin's murder. Morin was found dead on August 6, 2023, a day after she left for a jog on the Ma & Pa Trail. Martinez-Hernandez, who law enforcement said entered the country illegally from El Salvador, was arrested in June 2024 at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after a 10-month nationwide manhunt. The Sixth Amendment states that a defendant has a right to a public trial. The Harford County courtroom was at capacity during jury selection on Tuesday -- with potential jurors, attorneys, the judge, interpreters, and court officials. However, due to capacity concerns, neither the media nor members of the public were allowed to enter the courtroom. Since this is an open trial, Judge Yolanda Curtin allowed deputies to open the doors to the courtroom so people could listen in from the hall. Following a lunch break, jurors were individually questioned, which happened behind closed doors. In previous cases, the public was allowed to observe individual juror questioning with accommodations made to conceal sensitive information. In a 1992 Maryland ruling in the case of Watters v State, a similar situation was called into question, and it was ruled that the defendant's right to a public trial was violated. WJZ asked Maryland defense attorney Eric Bacaj if this process in the jury selection has been constitutional. "The general questioning of the pool under Maryland law should be open to the public and the then Court of Appeals Supreme, now the Supreme Court of Maryland. held in the Watters case that the denial of the public's right to be present during the generalized questioning and in that case, throughout the entirety of voir dire, was a reason to grant a new trial," Bacaj said. "Closing the courtroom for the second portion, which is that individualized questioning, which is often done with that white noise in the background so no one can hear anyway, I don't think closing the courtroom for that purpose would have any problems." A statement from the head of government affairs for the Maryland Judiciary said that the courtroom was not closed to the media or public, but mostly due to safety concerns and overcapacity. "The courtroom was, however, filled to capacity, and individuals were not allowed access to the courtroom due to safety and fire code concerns," the Maryland Judiciary said. "The Maryland Judiciary is currently working with the Circuit Court for Harford County to designate a space to accommodate media outlets. Challenges of space and resources, however, arise when working with smaller courthouses." During the open portion to the public, nearly 63% of the potential jurors responded yes when asked if they had strong feelings about allegations of sexual assault, rape and murder. They were also asked if they are comfortable viewing graphic images of the crime scene and evidence, and if they have any bias toward someone taking the stand who needs a language interpreter.
