Happening Now: Supreme Court of Maryland to hold open meeting on proposed Maryland Rules changes dealing with electronic recordings of criminal cases

 Washington Post reporting on this hearing at this link. 

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Media Advisory
Supreme Court of Maryland to hold open meeting on proposed Maryland Rules changes dealing with electronic recordings of criminal cases

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – On Friday, January 6, 2023, the Supreme Court of Maryland will hold an open meeting via videoconferencing on proposed Rules changes submitted by the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure (Rules Committee) beginning at 2:30 p.m. The meeting and proposed changes are in light of the Memorandum Opinion and Judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, entered on December 9, 2022, declaring Code, Criminal Procedure Article, § 1-201 unconstitutional as applied to lawfully obtained audio or video recordings of criminal proceedings. See Soderberg v. Carrion, Civ. No. RDB 19-1559 (D. Md.).

The Rules Committee submitted its Two Hundred and Thirteenth Report, recommending the adoption, on an interim and emergency basis, of new Rule 16-504.1 and amendments to Rules 2-804, 16-502, 16-503, 16-504, 16-901, and 16-914. Interested persons are asked to consider the committee’s report and proposed Rules changes and to forward on or before January 4, 2023, any written comments they may wish to make to rules@mdcourts.gov or to Sandra F. Haines, Esq., Reporter, Rules Committee, 580 Taylor Avenue Annapolis, Maryland 21401.

WHO:             Supreme Court of Maryland

WHAT:           Open meeting on the Two Hundred and Thirteenth Report of the Rules Committee

WHEN:           Friday, January 6, 2023, 2:30 p.m.

WHERE:         Supreme Court of Maryland
                       Open meeting via videoconferencing
                       Webcast

NOTE: Please contact the Maryland Judiciary’s Government Relations and Public Affairs office, communications@mdcourts.gov or 410-260-1488, for questions. For information about the webcast and to request permission to address the Court, contact Gregory Hilton, Clerk, Supreme Court of Maryland, 410-260-1500 or 800-926-2583.

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CONTACT:
Bradley Tanner
Public Information Officer
bradley.tanner@mdcourts.gov
410-260-1488

Terri Charles
Asst. Public Information Officer
terri.charles@mdcourts.gov
410-260-1488
 

How much of what MCPS puts out is Astroturf and manipulation of media?

Managing the Message

The Parents Coalition blog has been informed that at the recent MCCPTA Board of Directors meeting, "Media Training" was provided to those present by MCPS' director of Public Information, Mr. Dana Tofig. If this is not accurate, please let me know, and I'll be happy to revise or remove the following questions:

1. When MCCPTA issues a press release from now on,will MCPS provide advice and specific preferred language? Will there be any involvement or prior review of outgoing materials by MCPS?

2. Did MCCPTA pay for this "Media Training?" Did MCCPTA seek "Media Training" from any other organizations?

3. Is MCPS willing to provide "Media Training" to other school advocacy groups (for example, Gifted and Talented Association, McNeeds, the Parents Coalition, GTLD Network, NAACP Parents Council, XMinds, and others)?

4. Did MCPS's Director of Public Information provide handouts? Media contact lists? If so, will MCCPTA share the materials with the broader advocacy community?

5. Was there discussion as to whether the MCCPTA "message" would be supportive, and not critical of, of the MCPS message?

We invite the participants in this media training to contact us with more details about this training, if they believe it to be helpful to others engaged in school advocacy.