Government

April 9, 2013

This morning the House of Delegates begins debating Governor O'Malley's gun control bill.  As it stands, the measure would ban assault-style weapons and strengthen the requirements to buy a handgun in Maryland.  We talk with two of the delegates involved in the debate:  Luiz Simmons, Democrat of central Montgomery County, and Mike Smigiel, Republican of the Upper Shore.

April 2, 2013

On an off for the last five years, a handful of homeless people called the encampment near Baltimore’s JFX freeway home. But at the beginning of the month, the city razed the camp to deal with the city’s homelessness problem. The move is just the latest in a series of moves made by the Mayor to deal with homelessness in Baltimore. But many of the city’s advocates say the Mayor’s plan is ill-conceived. And what’s worse—it’s not working. This hour, we look at the problem of homelessness in Baltimore—including what underlying systemic issues are complicating the situation.

Today marks the golden anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Gideon v Wainwright, that affirmed the Sixth Amendment right of all criminal defendants, including the indigent, to counsel. A look back at Gideon and the defense of the poor, plus the effort to provide “civil Gideon” for those who cannot afford a lawyer.

The Justice Policy Institute, a Washington-based organization that supports lowering the nation's incarceration rate, says five states have reduced youth confinement by more than 50 percent over the last decade. What practices did they implement to achieve these results, and what's being done in Maryland? Our guests: Spike Bradford, senior research analyst for the Justice Policy Institute; and Scott Beal, executive director of community services for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.

March 13, 2013

In 1950, Baltimore city banned the use of lead paint in homes. But, city residents, of whom children and pregnant women are the most affected, are still being poisoned by the lead paint that was applied more than sixty years ago.

In the midst of partisan stalemate, the budget sequester and a renewed debate over guns, here comes legal scholar Louis Michael Seidman with a provocative idea: Ending our disobedience to the 225-year-old Constitution. Seidman says the time has come to acknowledge the failings of our treasured legal document and its archaic, idiosyncratic and harmful provisions. Seidman has taught constitutional law at Georgetown University for nearly 40 years. He is the author of "On Constitutional Disobedience."