Recent Posts

A SINGE SUBJECT RULE FOR THE FEDS (An Idea Whose Time Has Come)
As the executive and legislative branches of our federal government approach yet another “crisis” which they created by setting up…

Judge Steven I. Platt’s (Ret.) 5 Step Grand Jury Reform Plan
Two recent grand jury decisions involving the police killings of unarmed black men have sparked protests and demonstrations across the…

Crime and Punishment in Maryland
As Governor-Elect Hogan and the Lt. Governor-Elect Rutherford ramp up their Transition Team operations with a goal of having “the…

The Grand Jury: Old Habits , New Truths
The Ferguson, Missouri community along with the rest of the country anxiously awaits the apparently imminent decision of the St….

Candidate v. Campaign
As the General Election for Governor of the State of Maryland and virtually all of the state and local offices…

The Interaction and Interdependency of an Independent Judiciary and a Free Media
In recent years, courts throughout the State of Maryland and the Nation have been faced with an ever-rising tide of…

“The Multi-Door Courthouse of the Future”
The Courthouse of the future will have multiple doors and many methods of dispute resolution available behind those doors. In fact…

Maryland’s Judicial Election System Needs Fixing Now More Than Ever
Once again the visual of Maryland’s judicial elections in several counties and Baltimore City have illustrated the folly of contested…

Maryland Needs Short Summary and Expedited Civil Jury Trials Now
As I pointed out in my last column, lots of drama and some comedy continue to act out on our…

The Price of Rights
With all that is going on in our state and our nation, indeed the world in the name of “access…