Maryland's partisan, flawed system of drawing electoral districts can be shifted to one that's a national standard. But many interests compete to keep the status quo and a tricky political calendar before 2020 has to be navigated. Continue reading

Alarming news came recently when Equality Maryland announced that it may have to scale back or cease operations as funding fell following the Supreme Court marriage equality victory last month. Alarming, because Equality Maryland’s work isn’t done—it still has a profoundly important mission Continue reading

Gov. Hogan wants a new commission to loosen regulations on business. Apparently he wasn't satisfied with the work of the Augistine Commission, appointed -- by Democrats -- to accomplish the same goals. Continue reading

Predictions in the New York Times and elsewhere were that the US Supreme Court could trend left at the end of its session. They weren't far off, with four out of the six major decisions cheering liberals. Continue reading

By Justin Vest  History–like all human endeavors–is complex and often individual nuances are lost in the overarching context of a given time. The complexities of our history are not being adequately reflected in the ongoing debate over Confederate imagery, at least in part, because the symbols themselves are not capable of representing them fully.  Continue reading

By Hal Ginsberg The final edition of the Montgomery Gazette was delivered a few weeks ago.  Yet another casualty of the internet and media consolidation, the 55-year old Gazette was hardly my go-to news source. Continue reading

By Matthew Snider: Evolution has become such a familiar term for politicians looking to explain their calculating switch on gay marriage that it’s begun to lose any meaning. Biological evolution has long confounded Republican politicians from Mike Huckabee to George W. Bush. Now it seems personal or social evolution is too difficult to grasp, as well. Continue reading

By Mathew Goldstein:   There are currently five declared Democratic Party candidates for each of Maryland's 4th and 8th Congressional Districts and twelve Republican Party candidates for president.  We can expect more candidates to announce soon for these and other competitive primary elections.  The way we in the USA usually select a winner in such multi-candidate, single winner contests is unlikely to select the most popular candidate.  There are alternatives methods for electing candidates that more accurately reflect the electorate's preferences. Continue reading

By Larry Stafford: Today I joined with hundreds of community members in Prince George's County to stand against the proposed Walmart at the Duval Village Shopping Center located in Bowie Maryland. Check out photos from our protest at the Prince George's County Council building. Stay tuned for updates as the situation develops. .

By Justin Vest: Montgomery County is poised to join a growing number of US jurisdictions requiring paid sick leave for nearly all employees, but the interests of low-paid workers in the bill heading toward passage are endangered by forces trying to weaken it. Continue reading