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Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Supreme Court lets stand Maryland's assault weapons ban — for now
The facade of the U.S. Supreme Court, covered with scaffolding for construction, in a file photo from April 22, 2025. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand Maryland's decade-old ban on assault weapons, over the objections of four conservative justices who were ready to review a lower court's defense of the law that they called 'dubious' and 'questionable.' 'I would not wait to decide whether the government can ban the most popular rifle in America. That question is of critical importance to tens of millions of law-abiding AR–15 owners throughout the country,' Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a dissenting opinion. 'We have avoided deciding it for a full decade.' Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, noted that the high court's decision not to hear an appeal of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal's August ruling 'does not mean that the Court agrees with a lower-court decision or that the issue is not worthy of review.' He predicted that, with similar cases currently working their way through other circuits, the court 'should and presumably will address the AR-15 issue soon, in the next Term or two.' But state officials welcomed Monday's court decision. 'The U.S. Supreme Court's decision today to leave Maryland's assault weapons ban intact means that a critical law that prevents senseless and preventable deaths will remain in effect,' said a statement from Attorney General Anthony Brown, the target of the appeal. 'Our Office will continue to advocate for gun safety laws at the General Assembly and will defend Maryland's common-sense gun reforms in court. We will do whatever we can to protect Marylanders from this horrific violence,' his statement said. Federal appeals court upholds 2013 Maryland assault weapons ban The high court on Monday also let stand Rhode Island's 2022 ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. Justices Thomas, Alito and Gorsuch were also ready to hear that case, which challenged a state law that prohibits the possession, sale or transfer of a firearm magazine that holds more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The 2013 Maryland law banning assault weapons came one year after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, where 26 people, including 20 children, were shot and killed. The shooter in that case used an AR-15-style rifle along with two handguns. Gun-rights groups quickly challenged the law, and were given more ammunition by a string of recent Supreme Court rulings that vastly expanded protections under the Second Amendment's right to bear arms. The 4th Circuit had previously upheld Maryland's assault weapons ban. But the Supreme Court ordered the circuit court to reconsider that ruling in light of the high court's 2022 decision in New York State Police & Rifle Association vs. Bruen — in which it the court said citizens did not need a 'good and substantial' reason to carry a concealed weapon, the burden was on the government to prove the need for such a restriction. A divided 4th Circuit ruled 10-5 last August that Maryland's ban on assault weapons was constitutional, even in light of Bruen. Circuit Judge Harvie Wilkinson III wrote for the majority that weapons such as the AK-47, AR-15 and Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle, 'fall outside the ambit of protection offered by the Second Amendment because, in essence, they are military-style weapons designed for sustained combat operations that are ill-suited and disproportionate to the need for self-defense.' An appeal quickly followed, but the court's refusal to hear the case means the 4th Circuit ruling stands. In his dissent, Thomas said the appellate court 'placed the burden … on the wrong party.' 'The Fourth Circuit erred by requiring the challengers to prove that the Second Amendment protects their right to own AR–15s' when, in fact, the burden is on the government to justify its regulation of the weapons, he wrote. Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said in a text message he is pleased the Supreme Court upheld the state's law 'for now.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE 'Maryland's Assault Weapons Ban is critical for keeping Marylanders safe. These dangerous weapons like the AR-15 are military-style weapons designed for combat and not protected by the Second Amendment,' Clippinger wrote. 'As a country and as a State, we still have more work to do to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. But for today, we celebrate that the Supreme Court has allowed our Assault Weapons Ban to remain.' Nine other states, Washington, D.C., and other cities have approved similar bans on assault weapons. But Kavanaugh wrote that an estimated 15 million to 20 million Americans 'possess' an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. 'Meaning that the States such as Maryland that prohibit AR–15s are something of an outlier,' he wrote. That's why Mark Pennak, president of the gun rights group Maryland Shall Issue, said in a brief interview Monday he agrees with Kavanaugh that other pending cases will provide an opportunity. 'Because there are other cases that are pending out there involving the same issue … let the issue percolate some more which is standard Supreme Court practice,' he said. 'This issue is not over.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USM Board of Regents allows ‘certain personnel actions' in response to budget cuts
A look near the front entrance of Bowie State University's campus in Prince George's County on Nov. 22, 2023. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) The University System of Maryland Board of Regents unanimously approved a resolution Monday that would let presidents in the system assess potential cost savings such as furloughs, reductions in salary and closing of schools for certain number of days. But the resolution, approved by the board in less than 10 minutes during a virtual session, states any actions must be reviewed with the university system chancellor and 'in consultation with appropriate employee organizations.' The board also approved an amendment that would allow the Office of the Attorney General to review any proposal that seeks to reduce employment benefits to ensure that it complies with the Fair Labor Standards Act. This amendment was offered by board member William T. 'Bill' Wood, who serves as the treasurer. The resolution comes as the university system's 12 institutions and three regional centers face a reduction of $155 million, or 7% of their budgets, in fiscal 2026. The reductions came as the General Assembly attempted to close a projected $3 billion deficit on its way to approving a $67 billion spending plan last month for fiscal 2026. It's unclear exactly how many employees could lose jobs or how many vacant positions would go unfilled, especially as President Donald Trump (R) continues to threaten cuts in federal spending that would affect states. Several Maryland institutions such as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, one of the state's four historically Black colleges and universities, have started announcing financial measures. Some of those include eliminating positions that have been vacant for at least three years, instituting 'a hiring pause with some rare exceptions' and initiating telework Fridays for some employees between May 23 to Aug. 8. Ferguson: Maryland would lose $430 million in Trump 'skinny budget' proposal 'We are enacting these measures to minimize the impact on our faculty, staff, and their families,' UMES President Heidi M. Anderson said in a statement Tuesday. 'This will be a difficult period for everyone, but these efforts will make our university, our region and our state all the stronger moving forward.' A university spokesperson wrote in an email Monday that the school has 632 full-time employees earning $50,000 and more. The school's student enrollment for the spring was 2,841. Morgan State University in Baltimore, the state's biggest Black institution, with nearly 11,000 students and 2,926 employees, anticipates a $12 million decrease in appropriations. In a statement, the university said it plans to institute a hiring freeze on nonessential roles, eliminating 35 vacant positions and 'the restructuring and/or elimination of select staff positions (up to 15 in total).' Morgan State, which isn't affiliated with the state's university system, highlighted the fact that no tenured or tenure-track faculty positions will be affected by its proposals. 'We are deeply mindful of the potential job loss this process may entail for some members of our dedicated staff,' according to the statement from Morgan State. 'The University did not arrive at these decisions lightly. Every step taken was grounded in sound fiscal management and compassionate leadership, with the goal of protecting the long-term health and sustainability of the institution.' Another historically Black institution, Bowie State University in Prince George's County, with more than 6,000 students, does not plan any staff reductions or furloughs. However, a spokesperson with Bowie State also said Monday that the school does not plan to fill 50 vacant positions. A spokesperson with Salisbury University said the university also doesn't anticipate layoffs or furloughs at the university with 7,025 students and slightly more than 1,100 full-time employees. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE 'Our goal is to protect and prioritize our students and our employees as much as possible,' spokesperson Jason Rhodes said in an email Monday. 'SU will continue to follow that principle as long as challenging budget times continue.' Stuart Katzenberg, with the American Federation of State, County and Muncipal Employees Maryland Council 3, said Monday his organization has not discussed or received any proposals on salary reductions or furloughs from any representatives of the university system. 'If they were to pursue those with AFSCME, they'd have to come and negotiate with us as well as apparently get approval by the chancellor. They have not done that with us yet,' said Katzenberg, director of growth and collective bargaining for the union. AFSCME represents more than 6,000 employees in the university system, including custodians, mechanics, administrative assistants and those in information technology. The university system and AFSCME signed a contract in August that increased the minimum salary of $38,000 and boosted annual leave and other benefits. 'Our members make the campuses run. Without them, the campuses wouldn't be clean. There wouldn't be air conditioning in the summer,' Katzenberg said. 'So without our members, the campuses couldn't run.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USM Board of Regents allows ‘certain personnel actions' in response to budget cuts
A look near the front entrance of Bowie State University's campus in Prince George's County on Nov. 22, 2023. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) The University System of Maryland Board of Regents unanimously approved a resolution Monday that would let presidents in the system assess potential cost savings such as furloughs, reductions in salary and closing of schools for certain number of days. But the resolution, approved by the board in less than 10 minutes during a virtual session, states any actions must be reviewed with the university system chancellor and 'in consultation with appropriate employee organizations.' The board also approved an amendment that would allow the Office of the Attorney General to review any proposal that seeks to reduce employment benefits to ensure that it complies with the Fair Labor Standards Act. This amendment was offered by board member William T. 'Bill' Wood, who serves as the treasurer. The resolution comes as the university system's 12 institutions and three regional centers face a reduction of $155 million, or 7% of their budgets, in fiscal 2026. The reductions came as the General Assembly attempted to close a projected $3 billion deficit on its way to approving a $67 billion spending plan last month for fiscal 2026. It's unclear exactly how many employees could lose jobs or how many vacant positions would go unfilled, especially as President Donald Trump (R) continues to threaten cuts in federal spending that would affect states. Several Maryland institutions such as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, one of the state's four historically Black colleges and universities, have started announcing financial measures. Some of those include eliminating positions that have been vacant for at least three years, instituting 'a hiring pause with some rare exceptions' and initiating telework Fridays for some employees between May 23 to Aug. 8. Ferguson: Maryland would lose $430 million in Trump 'skinny budget' proposal 'We are enacting these measures to minimize the impact on our faculty, staff, and their families,' UMES President Heidi M. Anderson said in a statement Tuesday. 'This will be a difficult period for everyone, but these efforts will make our university, our region and our state all the stronger moving forward.' A university spokesperson wrote in an email Monday that the school has 632 full-time employees earning $50,000 and more. The school's student enrollment for the spring was 2,841. Morgan State University in Baltimore, the state's biggest Black institution, with nearly 11,000 students and 2,926 employees, anticipates a $12 million decrease in appropriations. In a statement, the university said it plans to institute a hiring freeze on nonessential roles, eliminating 35 vacant positions and 'the restructuring and/or elimination of select staff positions (up to 15 in total).' Morgan State, which isn't affiliated with the state's university system, highlighted the fact that no tenured or tenure-track faculty positions will be affected by its proposals. 'We are deeply mindful of the potential job loss this process may entail for some members of our dedicated staff,' according to the statement from Morgan State. 'The University did not arrive at these decisions lightly. Every step taken was grounded in sound fiscal management and compassionate leadership, with the goal of protecting the long-term health and sustainability of the institution.' Another historically Black institution, Bowie State University in Prince George's County, with more than 6,000 students, does not plan any staff reductions or furloughs. However, a spokesperson with Bowie State also said Monday that the school does not plan to fill 50 vacant positions. A spokesperson with Salisbury University said the university also doesn't anticipate layoffs or furloughs at the university with 7,025 students and slightly more than 1,100 full-time employees. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE 'Our goal is to protect and prioritize our students and our employees as much as possible,' spokesperson Jason Rhodes said in an email Monday. 'SU will continue to follow that principle as long as challenging budget times continue.' Stuart Katzenberg, with the American Federation of State, County and Muncipal Employees Maryland Council 3, said Monday his organization has not discussed or received any proposals on salary reductions or furloughs from any representatives of the university system. 'If they were to pursue those with AFSCME, they'd have to come and negotiate with us as well as apparently get approval by the chancellor. They have not done that with us yet,' said Katzenberg, director of growth and collective bargaining for the union. AFSCME represents more than 6,000 employees in the university system, including custodians, mechanics, administrative assistants and those in information technology. The university system and AFSCME signed a contract in August that increased the minimum salary of $38,000 and boosted annual leave and other benefits. 'Our members make the campuses run. Without them, the campuses wouldn't be clean. There wouldn't be air conditioning in the summer,' Katzenberg said. 'So without our members, the campuses couldn't run.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State faces potential loss of $232.1 million in federal funds, less than feared but still worrisome
Krishna Tullar, deputy state superintendent for the Office of Finance and Operations, gives update on state funding to the Maryland State Board of Education on April 29. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) The good news is that the state's schools are not going to lose $418 million in federal funding they feared was lost last month when federal officials abruptly announced they were clawing back unspent pandemic recovery funds. The bad news is that the state could still be out $232.1 million, the Maryland Board of Education was told Tuesday. The confusion came after school officials received a letter last month from the U.S. Department of Education, informing states that the Trump administration would cancel Biden administration extensions that would have given schools until next year to spend down any remaining COVID-19 recovery funds. That letter, from U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, came in an email on Friday, March 28, at 5 p.m., which said the cancellation would take effect immediately. It said the federal department would consider reimbursing states, but only under narrow provisions. 'This took us off guard, needless to say at five o'clock on a Friday,' said Maryland State Superintendent Carey Wright. In the confusion, state officials estimated that as much as $418 million could be at stake for state schools. Now, they say, the number is closer to $232.1 million. Krishna Tullar, deputy state superintendent for the department's Office of Finance and Operations, summarized from a chart that more than half of that amount, $144.9 million, comes from the third, and final, iteration of the American Rescue Plan's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ARP ESSER, program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The remaining $87.2 million came from earlier versions of ESSER and from other pandemic-response funds. It was slated for uses such as mental health services, professional development for teachers and for students experiencing homelessness, like residing in transitional housing. Donna Gunning, assistant superintendent in the department's division of financial planning, operations and strategy, said the federal government has not reimbursed the state for at least $127.5 million that has already been allocated. Another $104.6 million is money not reimbursed to the state's local school systems. Gunning said about $56.7 million of the school system money has been designated as 'encumbered' and not spent by the school systems also called local education agencies, also known as LEAs. Board President Joshua Michael summarized how local school districts will be affected if they are not reimbursed by the federal government for the millions they have spent. 'That could mean salaries for 2,000 teachers next year. It could mean 12,000 students in our pre-K program. We will have to come up with this money,' he said. 'These are real dollars.' Without schools being reimbursed, certain projects or educational programs must immediately stop. Board Vice President Monica Goldson said many local school systems 'were counting on receiving that reimbursement in their FY '26 budget.' 'And now they've been informed that they're not. Then those cuts at the local level could be even more extreme than they are right now,' said Goldson, former CEO of Prince George's County public schools. 'I just want everybody to understand that we are falling off of the cliff quickly.' Gunning said the state asked the federal department to reconsider its funding, but the only response received so far is that the reimbursement request for ESSER funding had to be resubmitted in another format. Board member Rachel McCusker asked if there's any indication when federal officials will inform the state of a decision. 'We are not aware of any state having received an approval since this decision,' Tullar said. Because of the federal government's decision, Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) joined other attorneys general in a lawsuit earlier this month against the federal agency to prevent it from arbitrarily changing its position so the states can continue to access the money that 'provides essential support' for students.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Officials say it's time ‘to move forward' in Landover, as Commanders return to D.C.
A look at Northwest Stadium on April 28, home of the Washington Commanders. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) While D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was saying, 'Welcome home,' Monday to the Washington Commanders, Maryland officials were already saying their farewells and looking forward to what's next for the team's current home in Landover. Few seemed surprised by the move, which has been discussed for several years. That discussion picked up when the team was bought two years ago by a new ownership group that said it was looking to replace the isolated and outdated Northwest Stadium. The team talked to officials in Maryland, the District and Virginia about a move. Despite putting together what Gov. Wes Moore (D) called 'a very competitive offer' to keep the team at its current site, most were like House Majority Whip Jazz Lewis (D-Prince George's), a lifelong fan, who said he understands the historical connection some fans have to the team being in D.C. 'We've known that since the new ownership got control of the team, they were interested in exploring going back to D.C.,' said Lewis, whose district includes the stadium site. 'We've also known that a lot of the fan base use that as their ancestral home. 'We're going to start preparing to move forward,' he said. The team played in Washington from 1937 to 1996, with last 35 years at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium. It has a lease at Northwest Stadium through 2027, but is not expected leave until 2030, when a new D.C. stadium is ready. Even as the state worked to keep the team in Landover, it has been 'responsibly preparing for the possibility of the Washington Commanders choosing to return to Washington,' Moore said in a statement released by his office Monday. Nearly $4 billion deal reached to bring Washington Commanders back to D.C. In December, team owner Josh Harris signed a memorandum of understanding with Moore and Prince George's Acting County Executive Tara H. Jackson that said team would begin demolition of the Landover stadium within 90 days of playing its first game at a new stadium. After demolition, the agreement calls on the team to work with state and county agencies to transform the site into 'a vibrant mixed-use development,' to include residential, retail 'and other allowable uses.' Moore said the goal is to ensure the area 'will not create blight in the community' and not be 'another RFK Stadium,' which has sunk into disrepair and become a blight on the neighborhood since hosting its last event in 2017. 'What's important going forward is that the Landover community receives the investment that it deserves,' he said. 'Currently we have a nearly 200-acre property that gets used eight times a year for a few hours, and I have said from my earliest days as governor that the people of the area deserve better.' The state has already work to improve the area, approving a $400 million investment in 2022 for redevelopment of areas around the county's four Metrorail Blue Line stations, which include the Morgan Boulevard Station, walking distance from the stadium. Federal, state and county officials held a groundbreaking ceremony April 9 for a new Civic Plaza near the Wayne K. Curry Administration Building, down the street from Largo Town Center Metrorail station. That project, scheduled for completion in December, calls for an enclosed dog park, a playground and an area for community events. It represents one of five planned and the first ever with investment from the Maryland Stadium Authority. The money, approved in 2022 by the General Assembly, did not require any of the funds to be used for a new stadium, but as a boost to revitalize those communities inside the Beltway instead. Longtime fans such as Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) were around when the team moved from RFK Stadium to Prince George's in 1997, when the stadium was named for then-team owner Jack Kent Cooke — who also labeled the area 'Raljon' for his sons, Ralph and John. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX It became FedEx Field when Daniel Snyder bought the team in 1999 and kept that name until Harris and his partners two years ago for about $6 billion. The stadium was called Commanders Field for a few months in 2024, before the team secured a deal to call the site Northwest Stadium named after Northwest Federal Credit Union. In addition to Commanders games, the stadium has hosted international soccer matches, concerts for performers including U2, Taylor Swift and the Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour, and last year's 125th Army-Navy college football game. Alsobrooks, who helped secure state funding and private investment toward the Blue Line corridor as county executive in 2022, pushed to improve the Landover community whether or not the team remained in Maryland. 'I know this area will continue to transform before our eyes with housing, retail and so much more,' she said in a texted statement Monday. 'Our continued investment will revitalize our Landover community and energize our entire state.' Belinda Queen, president of the Coalition of Central Prince George's County Community Organizations that includes Landover, said there's one business residents aren't interested in: data centers. 'Virginia has data centers. Virginia is bigger and has more land,' she said. 'I get it. Data centers bring some source of income, and we do need some source of income, but they need to be in places where there's plenty of land and not close to where people live. Put them where warehouses are.' As for the team going back to D.C., she said, 'Can't cry over spilled milk. That whole big [stadium site] can be an indoor shopping mall, or a big place where people can live, work and play. It's time to move the county forward.'
