Legal Docket (2023-2024)

As 2024 moves forward, the ACLU of Maryland legal department continues its ongoing work toward justice with clients, colleagues and partners, through new projects as well as developments in long-running litigation.

While this report focuses primarily on our work in the court system, litigation is just a part of what we do in the legal department: Our lawyers and advocates work on a myriad of legal projects beyond litigation. Our legal advocacy program integrates aspects of outreach, public education, and legal information to reinforce the value and agency of people our society unjustly pushes to the margins, providing the ACLU an important opportunity to equitably advance our mission outside litigation. This includes reviewing requests for assistance, conducting in-depth research and investigations, offering resources and referrals.

We also address civil rights violations and confront systems of white supremacy by conducting legal analyses to support our colleagues on public policy matters, and through drafting of legal policy reports, self-advocacy resources, and demand letters. Additionally, our team leads the ACLU’s Election Protection campaign and collaborates with Engagement staff on our Know Your Rights program. Through all this work, we strive to offer our communities belonging, tools, and strategies to develop pipelines to partnership with their government, other advocates, and each other. From fighting for voting rights, to pushing for transparency, accountability and systemic reforms in the tragic police killing of Anton Black, to the Maryland Parole Project’s celebration of homecomings for people too long imprisoned, the legal team is energized by the progress our clients and partners are making in Maryland’s fight for justice.

In the report below, we walk you through our recent and ongoing work in the courts, categorized by strategic priority, highlighting some of our memorable legal efforts.

Support Our Work

Photo caption: At the Federalsburg Unity Festival, a group gathers by the "From Protest to Progress" sign that was part of the landmark settlement in the historic voting rights case. In the photo are six people named on the sign (Rev. Jeffrey Butler, Elaine Hubbard, Roberta Butler, Dr. Willie G. Woods, Sherone Lewis, and Wanda Molock) and three other NAACP branch members (Elizabeth Pinkett, Janet Fountain, and Rev. Pearl Geter). Photo by Wanda Molock.

We publish this Legal Docket annually. The content we publish on the legal case pages on our website may reflect updates that occurred since we published this docket.

Legal Advocacy

Author: Deborah Jeon, legal director

Designer: Nicole McCann, senior communications strategist

Publication Date: September 2024