Read more about the article Maryland Sues To Block New FEMA Grant Restrictions
Courts / Emergency Management / NACo and Federal Issues / News You Can Use / Winter Conference
Maryland Sues To Block New FEMA Grant Restrictions

Maryland moved to protect emergency management funding and continuity this week as Attorney General Anthony Brown filed a lawsuit challenging new federal restrictions on FEMA preparedness grants that counties rely on to plan, respond to, and recover from disasters. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed suit this week, joining a coalition of states pushing back on new conditions tied to FEMA’s core preparedness and homeland security grants. State attorneys general argue the federal government cannot…

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November 5, 2025
Read more about the article Problematic Policy: Passing the Buck on Wrongful Convictions
County Budgets / Courts / Winter Conference
Problematic Policy: Passing the Buck on Wrongful Convictions

Earlier this year the Maryland Board of Public Works approved the first wrongful conviction settlement payment that will fall under the new cost sharing structure between state and local governments. Wicomico was the first jurisdiction to be charged, resulting in an almost $300,000 cost for a jurisdiction considered resource scarce enough to merit disparity grant funding from the state. This is the result of provisions in the 2025 Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BRFA) that…

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November 3, 2025
Read more about the article Appellate Court of Maryland Rules on Scope of Local Government Tort Claims Act Damage Caps
Courts / Government Liability and Courts
Appellate Court of Maryland Rules on Scope of Local Government Tort Claims Act Damage Caps

Chief Justice of the Appellate Court of Maryland, Judge E. Gregory Wells, issued an opinion removing certain claims from the damage caps provision of the Local Government Tort Claims Act. An opinion was released yesterday by the Appellate Court of Maryland that seeks to clarify the scope of damage caps in the Local Government Tort Claims Act (LGTCA). The case giving rise to the issue is Joseph Watts v. Prince George’s County, Maryland and was…

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October 30, 2025
Read more about the article New Wrongful Conviction Settlement Process Continues to Unfold in Wicomico
County Budgets / Courts / Government Liability and Courts / Winter Conference
New Wrongful Conviction Settlement Process Continues to Unfold in Wicomico

Legislative changes during the FY26 budget deliberations shifted a portion of the cost burden for wrongful convictions on to counties. With the new law in affect, counties are now picking up the settlement costs for a process they have no control over.  A recent Maryland Matters article highlighted some of the next steps in a novel move by the State to shift some of the costs of wrongful conviction settlements onto county governments. As previously covered on Conduit Street this…

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October 28, 2025
Read more about the article Should Fossil Fuel Companies Pay Counties for Climate Change? MD Supreme Court to Weigh In
Courts / Environment
Should Fossil Fuel Companies Pay Counties for Climate Change? MD Supreme Court to Weigh In

Oral arguments were heard in front of the Maryland Supreme Court this past Monday on the matter of three local government cases looking to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate change. Three cases brought by local governments over the last almost decade are being considered for standing by the Maryland Supreme Court during the current term. Oral arguments were heard by both the plaintiffs and defendants for a little over an hour on Monday,…

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October 9, 2025
Read more about the article MD Supreme Court Contemplates Broadening Opioid Crisis Liability
Courts / Health and Human Services / Policy Deep Dive / Public Safety and Corrections
MD Supreme Court Contemplates Broadening Opioid Crisis Liability

During a hearing on Tuesday, the Maryland Supreme Court signaled an openness to public nuisance claims extending beyond actions involving property, potentially to include liability of nefarious actors in the opioid crisis. To that end though, the court appeared reticent to establish definitions and guardrails for cases, instead potentially looking to rely on the General Assembly for guidance.  For a little over an hour Tuesday morning, the Maryland Supreme Court heard oral arguments from legal…

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September 11, 2025
Read more about the article Maryland Supreme Court Weighs Public Nuisance Claims in Opioid Case
County News / Courts / Health and Human Services
Maryland Supreme Court Weighs Public Nuisance Claims in Opioid Case

This week on the Conduit Street Podcast, Michael Sanderson and Policy Associate Sarah Sample sit down with Anne Arundel Deputy County Attorney Hamilton Tyler to unpack a local case now headed to the Maryland Supreme Court on September 9.   Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!  

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September 5, 2025
Read more about the article US Dept of Justice Agrees to Release Frozen Federal Education Funding
Courts / Education
US Dept of Justice Agrees to Release Frozen Federal Education Funding

After almost two months of a state-federal standoff, $110M of federal education funding will be released to Maryland following an agreement between the US Department of Justice, 23 attorneys general, and two states. Monday, August 25, terms were published that secured the release of billions of federal education dollars previously withheld by the US Department of Education in conjunction with the US Office of Management and Budget. Maryland schools are set to receive $110M of…

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August 27, 2025
Read more about the article MACo Files Brief as MD Supreme Court Hears Opioid Case Challenge
Courts / Government Liability and Courts / Health and Human Services / Public Safety and Corrections
MACo Files Brief as MD Supreme Court Hears Opioid Case Challenge

The Maryland Association of Counties signed on to an amicus brief in Express Scripts, Inc., et al. v. Anne Arundel County regarding public nuisance claims related to the opioid crisis and remediation. The Maryland Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. Recently the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) signed on to an amicus brief in a case involving member county Anne Arundel, and with potentially significant implications for local jurisdictions…

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August 26, 2025
Read more about the article Challenges In MD Dept of Juvenile Services Could Prompt More Reform Legislation
Courts / Public Safety and Corrections
Challenges In MD Dept of Juvenile Services Could Prompt More Reform Legislation

A recent report from an independent auditing unit continues to shine a light on challenges facing new leadership at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS).  A report in late July, from the Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit (JJMU) in the newly established Office of the Correctional Ombudsman (OCO) outlines concerns at facilities run by the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). The report is one of the first major projects of the recently established OCO following…

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August 7, 2025
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