Liddy v. Lamone (Ct. of Appeals)

The second of two cases involving the eligibility requirements for a candidate for Maryland Attorney General. The first case, Abrams v. Lamone, discussed in this post, considered a petition challenging the eligibility of Thomas E. Perez to hold the office. The Court found that Perez had not been a member of the Maryland Bar for the requisite period and thus was not eligible. This case challenged the eligibility of Doug Gansler, based on the argument that Gansler had not practiced law in Maryland for at least ten years. The Court did not reach that question. Addressing a threshold issue, the Court determined that the appellant had waited too long to bring the action. The challenge was filed more than three months after a similar action, almost 2 months after the Court’s Order in that case, and just 18 days before the general election. Hence, the Court held it was barred by laches.

The opinion is available in PDF.