Republicans Won’t Boycott the Special Session. They’ll Just Talk About Everything Else.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey wants one thing clear before the Aug. 3-5 special...
Maryland General Assembly 2026
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...
The Memo That Locked Everyone Else Out Just Let Bouchat In
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews — Part of The Bouchat Paradox series Christopher Eric Bouchat has spent three sessions...
Republicans Say They Warned Leadership — Then Got Shut Out Anyway
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Maryland's presiding officers have moved to limit what can even be introduced...
Maryland’s Corrections System Is Collapsing — And It Didn’t Happen by Accident
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews You don't need to repeal a law to kill it. You just need to make sure no one can enforce...
Maryland’s Hidden Bill: A Supreme Court Ruling Just Told Annapolis to Find the Money It Never Set Aside
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland's Supreme Court handed the state a win on June 23 — and used the occasion to...
Bates Says Maryland’s Juvenile System Is “Broken.” The Cases He’s Pointing To Show Why He’s Not Alone.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates posted a statement on X Thursday declaring that...
Bouchat Fires Off at Leadership as the Redistricting Session He Predicted Finally Arrives
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews — Part of the Bouchat Paradox series Christopher Eric Bouchat has spent three legislative...
Maryland Sets Aug. 3-5 Special Session on Redistricting — But the Dates Conflict with the State’s Own Ballot Deadline
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Maryland's General Assembly will return to Annapolis Aug. 3-5 for a special...
Moore Debates 20 Non-Voters on YouTube While a Bill to Open Maryland’s Debate Stage Died Without a Vote
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Governor Wes Moore spent his Sunday morning on "Surrounded," a debate program from the...
Governor Moore’s Disability Pride Month Message Runs Into His Own Budget Record
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Governor Wes Moore's official account marked the start of Disability Pride Month with a...
Supreme Court Clears States to Bar Transgender Athletes From Girls’ Sports — Where Does That Leave Maryland?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that states may lawfully restrict girls' and women's...
The Firewall Fell Overnight
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The Maryland Senate's redistricting firewall held for six months. It lasted about eighteen...
REPUBLICAN DELEGATE SAYS OWN PARTY LACKS “COURAGE” TO BACK CITIZEN REDISTRICTING — AND CITES SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY TO EXPLAIN WHY
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The day before Maryland's primary election, Carroll County Delegate Christopher Bouchat...
REPUBLICAN DELEGATE ANNOUNCES COUNTER-PROPOSAL FOR SPECIAL SESSION: TAKE REDISTRICTING OUT OF POLITICIANS’ HANDS ENTIRELY
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Frederick County Delegate Christopher Bouchat announced today that he intends to introduce...
Maryland Gave Counties Permission to Review Suicide Deaths. It Didn’t Require Anyone to Prevent Them.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The Maryland General Assembly's 2026 session produced one piece of suicide prevention...
Moore Vetoed Five Bills After Session. Here’s What He Killed — and Why It Matters.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The 2026 General Assembly session produced more than 860 new Maryland laws. Governor Wes...
‘The Nail Is Still in the Tire’: A Delegate Chose to Walk Away. Then the House Voted to Debate Expelling Him for It.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews — Part of the Bouchat Paradox series Christopher Eric Bouchat (R-5th) made his decision...
Moore Signs Glock Ban — And Maryland Taxpayers May Fund the Lawsuit That Kills It
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Governor Wes Moore signed Senate Bill 334 into law on Tuesday, making Maryland the second...
Ferguson Reverses on Redistricting — After Spending a Year Blocking It
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson spent the better part of a year standing in the way...
Moore Vetoes Bill to Support Local News — After Letting ICE Restriction Become Law
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Governor Wes Moore quietly vetoed a bipartisan bill last week that would have directed more...
SCOTUS Lets Virginia’s Redistricting Map Die — And Maryland Democrats Should Take Note
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The U.S. Supreme Court closed the last exit ramp for Virginia Democrats on Thursday,...
The Governor Who Takes Credit for Everything — Except What Went Wrong
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Governor Wes Moore is running for reelection on a record he has spent three years carefully...
SPLC Under Federal Indictment — And Its Curriculum Is in Maryland Classrooms
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews On April 21, a federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, returned an 11-count indictment...
$12.50 vs. $16.00: Moore’s Utility Promise Doesn’t Survive June
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Governor Wes Moore has already signed the Utility RELIEF Act, the legislation Democratic...
THE INVISIBLE WORKFORCE
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Every May 1st, labor gets its moment. Unions march. Politicians invoke the dignity of work....
Maryland Ranks Among the Most Expensive States for Groceries — And a New Law Probably Won’t Fix That
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland families already know what the data confirm: buying groceries here costs more than...
Maryland Paid the Lobbyists Who Wrote the Law That Could Cost Maryland Millions
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland is staring down a $1.4 billion structural deficit. It's cutting $150 million from...
They Came for the Watchdog
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming made a mistake last weekend. She shared...
Who Governs Maryland?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Every year, for 90 days, Maryland's General Assembly convenes, passes several...
Ferguson’s Chamber, Ferguson’s Rules
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — At 11:59 p.m. on April 13, as the Maryland General Assembly's 2026 session...
The Supermajority’s Session: One Party, No Brakes
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland's 2026 legislative session ended Monday with sine die adjournment, closing a...
The 50 Most Controversial Bills of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly: #10–1
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews — SPECIAL SERIES: 2026 Maryland General Assembly Scorecard — Part 3 of 3 | The Top 10...
Moore’s Victory Lap Can’t Outrun Maryland’s Fiscal Reality
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Governor Wes Moore emerged from the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session...
Maryland Senate Unanimously Passes Kanaiyah’s Law on Final Day of Session
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Senate voted unanimously on Monday to pass House Bill 980, known...
The 50 Most Controversial Bills of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly: #25–11
SPECIAL SERIES: 2026 Maryland General Assembly Scorecard — Part 2 of 3 By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews From the...
The 50 Most Controversial Bills of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly: #50–26
SPECIAL SERIES: 2026 Maryland General Assembly Scorecard — Part 1 of 3 By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The 449th session...
Maryland’s New Voting Rights Act: Who Gets to Sue, and Why Counties Are the Only Target
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland lawmakers are imposing a legal standard on counties that they explicitly refused...
Maryland Is Racing to Tie Law Enforcement’s Hands on ICE. Sheriffs Say They’ll Push Back.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Three days before the Maryland General Assembly adjourns for the year, Senate...
Maryland Just Passed a Deepfake Law. A Federal Court Already Struck Down the Same Thing.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland House of Delegates passed HB 145 on Friday by a vote of 95-36,...