Author: Patrick Herron

Martin O’Malley served as the 61st governor of the State of Maryland. Prior to being elected in 2006 and serving two terms from 2007-2015, he was appointed as Assistant State’s Attorney for the City of Baltimore in 1988; served on the Baltimore City Council from 1991-1999; and served as Mayor of the City of Baltimore from 1999-2007.

First Lady Judge Catherine O’Malley was appointed as Assistant State’s Attorney in the Baltimore County District Court, where she served for ten years. In 2001, Judge O’Malley was appointed as Associate Judge of the District Court of Maryland, from which she retired in 2021. She now serves the District Court of Maryland as a senior judge.

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other law enforcement partners nationwide – including Attorneys General from all 50 states and the District of Columbia – announced a new crackdown on illegal telemarketing targeting operations responsible for billions of calls to U.S. consumers.

The joint state and federal “Operation Stop Scam Calls” initiative builds on the efforts of Maryland and other state and federal partners to combat the scourge of illegal telemarketing, including robocalls. This initiative targets telemarketers and the companies that hire them, as well as lead generators who deceptively collect and provide consumers’ telephone numbers to robocallers and others, falsely representing that these consumers have consented to receive calls. It also targets Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers who facilitate tens of billions of illegal robocalls every year, most of which often originate overseas.

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown filed an amicus brief on Monday, July 17, 2023, supporting Anne Arundel County’s suicide prevention measures in the case of Maryland Shall Issue, Inc., et al v. Anne Arundel County, Maryland, currently before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The amicus curiae brief emphasizes the importance of targeted efforts to increase awareness of suicide risk factors and available resources at the point of sale of firearms and ammunition.

Firearms account for approximately 45% of suicide deaths in Maryland, making them the leading method of suicide both in the state and nationally. In Maryland, suicide disproportionately impacts children, ranking as the second leading cause of death among five to 14-year-olds and the third leading cause among 15 to 24-year-olds. In addition, the brief underscores the significant impact of firearm suicides on veterans, as firearms are used in 68% of suicides among this vulnerable group.