Maryland Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Maryland, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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Can a Maryland charter county sell a county-owned building to a private buyer and then lease it back for continued government use?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that Harford County could sell county-owned property to a private investor and lease it back long-term, because Article 25A, section…
Can Maryland require a circuit court judge to actually live in a specific county, not just anywhere in the multi-county judicial circuit?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that the statute requiring all resident judgeships allocated to the Prince George's County Circuit Court to be filled by actual…
Could an out-of-state lawyer represent a client in a Maryland health claims arbitration or other administrative hearing without being admitted to the Maryland Bar?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that an out-of-state lawyer could not be specially admitted, pro hac vice or otherwise, to represent a client in the arbitration of a…
Are car-buying or referral services like AAA's car-buying program legal under Maryland's vehicle salesman licensing law?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that car buying and referral services like United Buying Service, and a proposed AAA car-buying program, fall within the statutory…
Can Maryland let a county pay for its own lawyer for the sheriff instead of using the Attorney General's office?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that a bill letting Cecil County pay for a sheriff's attorney could still be constitutional, but only if it was administered as an…
Did Maryland's 1982 law letting charities raffle off real estate override the usual county permit and licensing rules for raffles?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General approved House Bill 1885, which let bona fide charitable organizations raffle off real property, but warned the General Assembly that the bill's…
When two bills in the same legislative session both amend the same statute, does the second one signed cancel out the first?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General advised Governor Harry Hughes that two racing bills, Senate Bill 1042 and Senate Bill 1043, which each amended the same takeout provision of…
Could Maryland let school principals search a student based on 'reasonable belief' instead of the stricter 'probable cause' standard?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General approved House Bill 1514, which amended the Education Article to let a principal, assistant principal, or school security guard search a student…
Was it legal for Maryland veterinarians to euthanize dogs and cats with T-61 solution, or did that count as a banned 'curariform drug'?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that T-61 Euthanasia Solution was not a prohibited 'curariform drug' under Article 27, §59A, even though one of its three components has…
Can a Maryland county require owners of existing, already-built swimming pools to add fencing after the fact?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that Calvert County had the constitutional and statutory authority to require the fencing of swimming pools that were built or installed…
Can a public high school officially recognize a Christian student club, like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as a school organization?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that while a public high school could let a religious student club use school facilities after hours like any other community group,…
Could Maryland make it a crime to publish material that defames a whole racial or religious group, like Nazi or Klan hate literature?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that House Bill 1018, which would have made it a crime to knowingly and maliciously distribute written material that defamed the members…
Could Maryland have required every public school student to pray, read the Bible, or meditate each morning?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that Senate Bill 2, which would have required every public school student to affirmatively choose to pray, read the Holy Scripture, or…
Can Maryland raise the pay of an election board member if the raise takes effect the same day their new term starts?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that Article III, Section 35 of the Maryland Constitution, which bars changing a public officer's salary during their term of office,…
Can Maryland limit a charter county's ordinances from overriding a town's own home rule laws without amending the state constitution?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that limiting how charter county ordinances apply to municipalities within that county does not require a constitutional amendment,…
Could Maryland have required public schools to give equal classroom time to creation-science and evolution?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that House Bill 1078, which would have required public schools to give creation-science and evolution-science equal time, equal textbook…
If Maryland spouses jointly own a house, does a lender need both signatures to use the house as loan collateral?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that no additional signature was needed for a borrower's solely owned property or individual share of jointly owned property. A…
Could Maryland's Governor issue a binding executive order setting statewide development policy that agencies had to follow?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that the Governor had statutory authority under Article 41 to issue a proposed executive order setting statewide physical and economic…
If a convicted Maryland official's felony conviction is reversed on appeal, are they owed back pay right away, or only once the appeal is completely final?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that the 1979 payment of back pay to former Governor Marvin Mandel was lawful, because Article XV, Section 2 of the Maryland…
Could a Maryland bank in 1980 raise the interest rate on an existing credit card balance after the state's usury ceiling went up?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that a bank could raise the interest rate on a cardholder's existing credit card balance after Maryland raised its usury ceiling in…
If Maryland closed or merged a state college, would it lose federal Land Grant Act funding, and what would happen to tenured faculty?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that closing or consolidating a public college that received Morrill-Nelson land grant funding would not jeopardize the State's federal…
When a Maryland circuit judge's 15-year term expires and the judge holds over until retirement, when must the newly appointed successor run for election?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that when a circuit court judge's 15-year term expired and the judge then held over in office under Article IV until reaching mandatory…
Can Maryland's medical board discipline a doctor for pressuring opposing expert witnesses during his own malpractice trial?
In this 1979 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that the Commission on Medical Discipline had jurisdiction to discipline a physician for pressuring opposing expert witnesses during his…
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Attorney general opinions in Maryland are written by the Maryland Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.