Plaintiffs’ attorneys say they expect a decision “later today or tomorrow”; no timeline confirmed by the court itself
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews
ANNAPOLIS — The Supreme Court of Maryland heard oral arguments Thursday morning in the appeals of two circuit court rulings against the state’s proposed congressional redistricting amendment. Attorneys for the Republican challengers said arguments concluded that morning, followed by a press conference outside the courthouse, with no ruling issued as of Thursday afternoon.
The timing puts the case on a collision course with the State Board of Elections’ printing schedule. Thursday was also the day officials were expected to begin printing ballots for the Nov. 3 general election, according to prior reporting on the case’s timeline. Both circuit court injunctions against Question 3 remain stayed while the appeal is pending, meaning the amendment is still slated to appear on the ballot as printed unless the Supreme Court rules otherwise before printing is completed.
“The timing puts the case on a collision course with the State Board of Elections’ printing schedule.”
How the case got here
- Aug. 26: Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Robert J. Thompson ruled the amendment unlawful, finding lawmakers missed their own certification deadlines and that the ballot language was misleading. He stayed his injunction pending appeal.
- Aug. 28: Dorchester County Circuit Judge S. James Sarbanes reached a similar conclusion in a separate lawsuit, also finding the ballot language misleading and citing a direct contradiction in the bill’s own preamble. He stayed his injunction as well.
- Sept. 3: Both cases arrived at the Supreme Court of Maryland on an expedited direct appeal, with oral arguments held Thursday morning. Assistant Attorney General Daniel Kobrin represents the state in both cases. The challengers are represented by a legal team from the Oversight Project, including Jeffrey B. Clark, Samuel E. Dewey and Kyle Brosnan.
“Both circuit court injunctions against Question 3 remain stayed while the appeal is pending.”
What happened Thursday
Lawmakers and attorneys who attended the hearing described a full morning of arguments followed by a press conference outside the courthouse.
“Our attorneys at the Oversight Project did a fantastic job with oral arguments this morning,” Del. Matt Morgan, R-St. Mary’s, chair of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, said in a statement afterward. He added that the legal team was “cautiously optimistic about a favorable outcome” and said they expect a decision “later today or tomorrow.”
Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready struck a similar note earlier in the day, saying only that arguments had concluded and that it remained unclear when a ruling would come.
“Neither statement is an official court timeline.”
Neither statement is an official court timeline. MDBayNews has not confirmed when the Supreme Court intends to rule, and has not obtained comment from the Governor’s office, the Attorney General’s office or the State Board of Elections on the status of Thursday’s arguments or the ballot printing schedule.
What’s next
Neither the court nor the state has publicly confirmed a timeline for a ruling. Plaintiffs’ attorneys said Thursday they expect a decision within a day, but that is their own assessment, not a court order or published schedule. The Supreme Court of Maryland’s online argument calendar lists additional oral argument sessions this week, but MDBayNews could not confirm that any of those sessions pertain to this case specifically, and is not reporting that the case will be reargued. With ballot printing set to begin the same week, any further delay in a ruling would leave Question 3’s status unresolved even as ballots move toward production.
“Any further delay in a ruling would leave Question 3’s status unresolved even as ballots move toward production.”
Sources: This story is based on statements posted to X on Sept. 3, 2026, by Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready and Del. Matt Morgan, chair of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, describing Thursday’s oral arguments and subsequent press conference. The Supreme Court of Maryland’s general oral argument calendar for the week of Sept. 3-9 was reviewed at mdcourts.gov but does not specify which cases are being heard on which day, so MDBayNews has not treated it as confirmation of a case-specific schedule. Background on the underlying rulings and case timeline is drawn from prior reporting by Maryland Matters, The Baltimore Banner, WBFF/Fox Baltimore, WJLA and Bloomberg Law, and from MDBayNews’s own prior coverage of the Anne Arundel and Dorchester County rulings.
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