Maryland Courts

A crime suspect who invokes his "right to remain silent" under the famous Miranda decision can be questioned again after 14 days, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. And if he freely agrees to talk then, his incriminatory statements can be used against him. In a 9-0 decision in a Maryland child-abuse case, the high court overturned a rule set in 1981 that barred the police from questioning a suspect once he had asked to remain silent and to speak with a lawyer. Known as the "Edwards rule," it was intended to prevent investigators from "badgering" a suspect who was held in jail after he had invoked his Miranda rights.

A crime suspect who invokes his "right to remain silent" under the famous Miranda decision can be questioned again after 14 days, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. And if he freely agrees to talk then, his incriminatory statements can be used against him. In a 9-0 decision in a Maryland child-abuse case, the high court overturned a rule set in 1981 that barred the police from questioning a suspect once he had asked to remain silent and to speak with a lawyer. Known as the "Edwards rule," it was intended to prevent investigators from "badgering" a suspect who was held in jail after he had invoked his Miranda rights.

Maryland's highest court has ruled that men who have acknowledged fathering a child can challenge the paternity agreement years later and have courts order DNA or other tests. A majority of the judges ruled that blood or genetic tests that can determine paternity must be ordered if requested by the men, saying fairness and truth outweigh other considerations.

No last-minute collapse. Not even a home loss. Maryland finally beat Duke in Cole Field House at College Park, Md.--the venerable building again the site of a loss by a No. 1 team. The No. 3-ranked Terrapins, who had lost four years in a row at home to Duke, defeated the top-ranked Blue Devils, 87-73, before 14,500 on Sunday. It was the seventh time a top-ranked team lost in the building that is closing after this season.

A Maryland judge's recent decision to grant a woman custody of her toddler even though she murdered another child has cast a spotlight on the key question under debate in child-protection circles: Just how paramount should birth parents' rights be? Montgomery County Circuit Judge Michael D. Mason's strict interpretation of a state law protecting the rights of biological parents assured Latrena Pixley, 23, custody of her 2-year-old son, Cornelius.

The state Supreme Court struck down Maryland's anti-cross burning law, saying it was unconstitutional because it interfered with free speech. In the unanimous opinion, Chief Judge Robert Murphy wrote: "The open and deliberate burning of religious symbols is, needless to say, odious to thoughtful members of our society. But the Constitution does not allow the unnecessary trammeling of free expression even for the noblest of purposes."

No last-minute collapse. Not even a home loss. Maryland finally beat Duke in Cole Field House at College Park, Md.--the venerable building again the site of a loss by a No. 1 team. The No. 3-ranked Terrapins, who had lost four years in a row at home to Duke, defeated the top-ranked Blue Devils, 87-73, before 14,500 on Sunday. It was the seventh time a top-ranked team lost in the building that is closing after this season.

A man who says his wife was having sex with their marriage counselor has the right to sue, Maryland's highest court ruled in Annapolis. The Court of Appeals reversed lower court rulings that had dismissed A $10-million suit was filed by Silvio Figueiredo-Torres, 49, of Washington, D.C., against Herbert J. Nickel of Bethesda, Md. Figueiredo-Torres charged the psychologist with malpractice and intentional infliction of emotional distress by having an affair with his wife, Marsha, 50.

Jeffrey A. Levitt was indicted on 12 felony theft charges involving $13.6 million in funds from Old Court and from First Progressive Savings & Loan. It was the the first indictment resulting from a joint state and federal investigation into the causes of the state's thrift institution crisis last spring.

Lockheed Martin Corp. failed to stop a lawsuit that accuses the world's largest defense contractor of undercutting satellite contracts between a Russian company and a small Los Angeles firm. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider an appeal by Semtek International Inc., which seeks to pursue a case it filed in a Maryland state court. The company at one point sought $100 million from Lockheed Martin.

Maryland's highest court has ruled that men who have acknowledged fathering a child can challenge the paternity agreement years later and have courts order DNA or other tests. A majority of the judges ruled that blood or genetic tests that can determine paternity must be ordered if requested by the men, saying fairness and truth outweigh other considerations.

Lockheed Martin Corp. failed to stop a lawsuit that accuses the world's largest defense contractor of undercutting satellite contracts between a Russian company and a small Los Angeles firm. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider an appeal by Semtek International Inc., which seeks to pursue a case it filed in a Maryland state court. The company at one point sought $100 million from Lockheed Martin.

A Maryland judge's recent decision to grant a woman custody of her toddler even though she murdered another child has cast a spotlight on the key question under debate in child-protection circles: Just how paramount should birth parents' rights be? Montgomery County Circuit Judge Michael D. Mason's strict interpretation of a state law protecting the rights of biological parents assured Latrena Pixley, 23, custody of her 2-year-old son, Cornelius.

The state Supreme Court struck down Maryland's anti-cross burning law, saying it was unconstitutional because it interfered with free speech. In the unanimous opinion, Chief Judge Robert Murphy wrote: "The open and deliberate burning of religious symbols is, needless to say, odious to thoughtful members of our society. But the Constitution does not allow the unnecessary trammeling of free expression even for the noblest of purposes."

A man who says his wife was having sex with their marriage counselor has the right to sue, Maryland's highest court ruled in Annapolis. The Court of Appeals reversed lower court rulings that had dismissed A $10-million suit was filed by Silvio Figueiredo-Torres, 49, of Washington, D.C., against Herbert J. Nickel of Bethesda, Md. Figueiredo-Torres charged the psychologist with malpractice and intentional infliction of emotional distress by having an affair with his wife, Marsha, 50.

Jeffrey A. Levitt was indicted on 12 felony theft charges involving $13.6 million in funds from Old Court and from First Progressive Savings & Loan. It was the the first indictment resulting from a joint state and federal investigation into the causes of the state's thrift institution crisis last spring.

ABOUT THIS SERIES This is the second in a series of occasional articles that will examine how DNA evidence is transforming criminal justice. -- State crime lab analyst Kathryn Troyer was running tests on Arizona's DNA database when she stumbled across two felons with remarkably similar genetic profiles. The men matched at nine of the 13 locations on chromosomes, or loci, commonly used to distinguish people.

More than 20,000 voters called a nationwide hot line staffed by legal experts this week, organizers said Wednesday. Ohio, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Florida and Maryland produced the most callers, said the organizers, the Election Protection Coalition. The group is made up of legal and civil-rights organizations.