The public database of Maryland court records has been expanded to include case information from the Court of Appeals (COA) and the Court of Special Appeals (COSA).  The Maryland Judiciary Case Search, an online database of public court records, will now include appellate court case information. In announcing the additional records, Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera noted it would help enhance transparency and access to information on cases that have been…

The Supreme Court ruled that states cannot copyright their annotated codes potentially upending copyrights held by 22 states.  The court's 5-4 decision in Georgia et al v. Public.Resource.org, inc. upholds an appellate court ruling against the state. The appellate court found that because George's laws are developed in the course of the legislature's duty they cannot be protected by copyright. Route Fifty reports on the specifics of the case: The state’s official code is available…

Supreme Court determines that the Sixth Amendment unanimous jury requirement applies to states.  In Ramos v. Louisiana, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled defendants charged with a serious offense cannot be convicted based on split jury verdicts. The jury must unanimously convict the criminal according to the Sixth Amendment's unanimous jury requirement which has long been held to apply to federal cases. As reported in Bloomberg Law: At issue in the case—which state officials warned could ultimately…