Yesterday, the Maryland Court of Appeals granted two petitions in criminal cases that it will hear in the fall. (Update: After the Court of Appeals granted certiorari in State v. Santos, the State voluntarily dismissed its appeal.)
April 2019 Maryland Certiorari Grants, Batch #2
Dana T. Johnson, Jr. v. State of Maryland – Case No. 9, September Term, 2019 (Reported COSA Opinion by Judge Nazarian)
Issues – Criminal Law – 1) Section 5-612 of the Criminal Law Article, which prohibits possession of certain quantities of controlled dangerous substances, provides that “[a] person who is convicted of a violation of subsection (a) of this section shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than 5 years and is subject to a fine not exceeding $100,000.” What is the maximum allowable period of incarceration for a violation of this law? 2) Did the circuit court impose an illegal sentence of fourteen years of incarceration for a violation of section 5-612 of the Criminal Law Article?
State of Maryland v. Bryan Santos – Case No. 10, September Term, 2019 (Unreported COSA Opinion by Judge Raker)
Issue – Courts & Judicial Proceedings – Did the trial court properly admit testimony by Respondent’s wife about statements he made to her and a statement by Respondent admitting some of the things he did with the victims?
Maryland Appellate Blog 