MOBILE
November 5, 2012
// Obama for president // Four years ago, President Barack Obama took office as the economy was in steep decline with millions in the process of losing their jobs, the nation was locked in seemingly endless military conflicts, Wall Street firms were getting bailed out but not held accountable and a growing number of Americans were unable to afford health insurance. Today, the economy is growing, albeit modestly, the U.S. military has largely withdrawn from Iraq and will do so in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden is dead, the federal government has begun more closely regulating the kind of large banks and finance companies that contributed to the mortgage crisis and health care reform is gradually making sure working Americans can get affordable insurance for themselves and their families -- including those with pre-existing conditions.
NEWS
October 22, 2012
The general public has never been especially fond of lawyers or judges. When Gallup polls Americans asking what professions they view favorably and which they view negatively, the lawyers get a thumbs down every time — although, on the bright side, the federal government and the oil industry are rated considerably worse. Nevertheless, as the old saying goes, you can hate lawyers until you need one. That's when they become invaluable in allowing a family to adopt a child or prevent an innocent person from being convicted of a crime or in upholding terms of a business contract.
NEWS
By Jessica Anderson, The Baltimore Sun | October 7, 2012
Maryland's system of resolving disputes over wills and estates is being challenged in Baltimore County this fall, as voters decide whether the local Orphans' Court judges should be required to have law licenses. A statewide referendum in the Nov. 6 election proposes amending the Maryland constitution to exclude the county's "lay judges," a title that has existed since 1777, when the court was created under the constitution. A similar, separate ballot question applies to the court in Prince George's County . The two ballot questions have been overshadowed by referendums on broader hot-button issues such as same-sex marriage and expanded gambling.
NEWS
By Steve Kilar, The Baltimore Sun | March 31, 2012
Suzanne K. Mensh, who served Baltimore County for nearly five decades as an Orphans' Court judge and then as clerk of the county Circuit Court, died Wednesday at Northwest Hospital. Her family said no cause of death was given. She was 82. "She was a sincere lady," said a son, Spencer Mensh of Reisterstown. "The first word that comes to mind with her is 'integrity.'" Judge Mensh was encouraged to run for office by members of a local Democratic club who worked with her at polling locations, her son said.
NEWS
By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun | January 4, 2011
While politicians are sworn in throughout Maryland this month, at least one general election winner from Baltimore may not make the final cut. Laudette Ramona Moore Baker won an uncontested spot on the city's Orphans Court in November — after a dozen years of running for various offices under different combinations of her four names. Yet, despite her victory, she never received the governor's commission required for her swearing-in. And according to Gov. Martin O'Malley's spokesman, she likely never will.
NEWS
By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun | November 4, 2010
After a dozen years of trying to get elected to the Baltimore Orphans Court — first as its register of wills and later as a judge — Laudette Ramona Moore Baker finally got her wish on Election Day. But the victory may be short-lived. While she was being elected to the vacant spot on the three-judge panel Tuesday, state voters were approving a constitutional amendment that bars her from taking the $65,000-a-year job because she's not a lawyer. The situation has put Baker into a state of legal limbo and created a conundrum for the two sitting judges — both members of the Maryland bar who are dismayed that a nonjurist was elected to join them.