Maryland lawmakers on Wednesday empowered the attorney general to bypass the governor and sue the federal government at his own discretion.
The Democrat-controlled General Assembly has moved swiftly to expand authority of the state’s lawyer for the first time in what lawmakers said was more than 150 years, spurred by what Democrats and Attorney General Brian E. Frosh say is a unique threat posed by Republican Donald J. Trump’s administration.
GOP lawmakers objected to eroding the authority of fellow Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in granting what they called unchecked power to the attorney general. Later today, lawmakers will weigh whether to give Frosh $1 million and five additional attorneys to pursue potential legal action against the federal government.
The House of Delegates passed the "Maryland Defense Act" on a strict party line vote Wednesday, 89-50. The Senate approved the same measure last week 29-17, with three Democrats voting with Republicans against it.
Frosh, a Democrat, said he sought Hogan’s authority to contest the constitutionality of Trump’s travel ban on Feb. 1, but the governor has not answered the request. The day before, lawmakers announced their plan to give Frosh permission to sidestep the governor.
The Maryland General Assembly is moving quickly to expand the power of the attorney general to sue the Trump administration without Gov. Larry Hogan’s permission.
Acting with uncommon speed, the state Senate gave final approval Friday to a joint resolution broadening the authority of the state’s…
The Maryland General Assembly is moving quickly to expand the power of the attorney general to sue the Trump administration without Gov. Larry Hogan’s permission.
Acting with uncommon speed, the state Senate gave final approval Friday to a joint resolution broadening the authority of the state’s…
A spokeswoman for the governor’s office said Hogan’s attorneys requested additional information about the merits of Frosh’s proposed lawsuit and were reviewing it.
Until Wednesday, Maryland reserved the power to sue the federal government to the governor and the General Assembly — one of only eight states that do not grants that autonomy to attorney generals.
The joint resolution allows Frosh to initiate a lawsuit against the government for a long list of action or inaction that the attorney general judges an infringement of Marylanders’ rights.
This story will be updated.
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