Author: Patrick Herron

Per the State of Maryland: Governor Wes Moore today delivered remarks at the 2023 Maryland League of Conservation Voters Changemakers celebration, honoring Marylanders who have demonstrated vision, leadership, and courage in protecting the environment. The event took place at the Colwell Center in downtown Baltimore, home to the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology.

“Being a changemaker is hard and it takes partnership. We praise these changemakers not only for their individual accomplishments, but also for how their collective accomplishments moved us forward,” said Gov. Moore. “If we follow the example of these changemakers, I know we will meet this moment united and build a better, more sustainable, more resilient, and more equitable future.”

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a multistate coalition of 17 Attorneys General in support of Hawaii’s request to the Ninth Circuit to rehear an appeal defending Hawaii’s ban on butterfly knives. The petition seeks en banc or panel rehearing of a decision, issued in Teter v. Lopez on August 7, 2023, that invalidated Hawaii’s butterfly knife ban under the Second Amendment. In its amicus brief, the coalition argues that the panel’s application of the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen was inconsistent with the approach taken in other Second Amendment cases.

In Hawaii, it is a misdemeanor to manufacture, sell, transport, or possess a butterfly knife, which is a type of knife where a split handle can fully encase the blade and rotate open to expose it. In 2019, plaintiffs filed a lawsuit challenging the law, claiming it violated the Second Amendment. The district court granted Hawaii’s motion for summary judgment, and the plaintiffs appealed to the Ninth Circuit. After the Supreme Court issued the Bruen decision in June 2022, the Ninth Circuit heard oral argument in Teter and ultimately vacated the district court’s decision.