Who Authorized This? A Private Nonprofit Is Now Appointing Attorneys in Maryland Custody Cases
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews A Seattle-based nonprofit with no Maryland legislative authorization, no independent...
Family Policy
One Signature, No Judge: How Maryland Lets a Single Accusation Freeze a Custody Case
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews A commissioner — not a judge — can issue a protective order in Maryland based on one...
Montgomery County Schools Faces Supreme Court Petition After Barring Teacher for Refusing to Keep Parents in the Dark
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The cert petition landed at the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday. Kimberly Ann Polk, a...
Law Day Irony: Maryland’s Top Lawyer Has Failed the Law
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews At 3:07 p.m. today, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown posted a tribute to the rule of...
Federal foster care watchdog quietly rewrote the rules — then sent Maryland a smaller bill
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews On November 14, 2025, a senior official at the federal Children's Bureau — signing as...
She Slipped the Cuffs, Fought Two Officers, Drove Impaired — Then Walked Away Clean. Years Later, Under Oath, She Said She Didn’t Remember.
A deposition transcript obtained by this outlet reveals that Sarah Hornbeck admitted under oath to a...
The Case That Wouldn’t End
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland’s judiciary often presents itself as a model of stability, professionalism, and...
Months Missing: How Maryland’s Broken Child Welfare System Lost Track of Tristan King
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews For nearly six months, a nine-year-old boy was effectively missing in plain sight in...
Maryland Attorney’s Deposition Raises New Questions in Federal Malicious Prosecution Case
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews A recent deposition in a federal lawsuit involving a long-running Maryland custody dispute...
Baltimore’s Protective Order Machine: When Allegations Become Weapons
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews When the state can take your freedom, your reputation, and your livelihood based on a...
Maryland HB 942: Criminalizing Custody Interference Is Necessary — But Without Structural Enforcement Reform, It Will Not Fix Maryland’s Family Court Crisis
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews For years, separated parents in Maryland have lived with a painful contradiction: custody...
Two Years to Maybe Make It Right? Maryland’s SB481 Raises Red Flags for Parents Facing Custodial Interference
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland lawmakers are advancing Senate Bill 481 (SB481) as a reform to address denial or...
Maryland House Republicans Roll Out Final Pieces of 2026 Affordability and Accountability Agenda
By MDBayNews Staff The Maryland House Republican Caucus has formally introduced the remaining bills in its 2026...
Former Maryland Child Support Employee Pleads Guilty to Timesheet Fraud, Ordered to Pay $42,000
By MDBayNews Staff A former employee of Maryland’s child support enforcement system has pleaded guilty to falsifying time...