The Lagasse Report

10/09/2025

Apologies for the lack of recent updates; life briefly intervened, but I've been able to quiet it down again. The latest filings in the Supreme Court of Maryland petition for writ have been uploaded to the TLR document library:

* Motion by the petitioner (with the consent of the respondents) to stay the appeals court mandate;
* Order by the court granting the motion to stay the mandate; and
* Respondents' answer to the petition for writ of certiorari

The motion to stay the Appeals Court of Maryland's mandate is basically a housekeeping action that preserves the status quo while the supreme court considers whether to take up the case. As the motion says, granting the motion "will have no impact on the [Circuit Court for Charles County's] October 17, 2023, injunction, which will remain in full force and effect."

The Respondents' Answer is the detailed point-by-point response to the petition filed by Commissioner Coates on Aug. 18. Both the petition and the answer are worth reading in their entirety. Should the court agree to grant the petition (i.e., agree to hear the case), TLR will do a deep dive on both documents to help readers prepare for the oral arguments.

As a public service, TLR is making available copies of selected documents filed in the court cases resulting from the question of whether District 2 Commissioner Thomasina Coates (D) is allowed to …

20/08/2025

BREAKING: On Monday, Commissioner Coates petitioned the Supreme Court of Maryland for a writ of certiorari to contest the appellate court's opinion upholding the original circuit court ruling.

(TLR had originally reported that Friday, Aug. 15 was the last day for filing; this was erroneous as the 30-day window actually started when the mandate was published (August 1), not 30 days after the posting of the opinion (June 30). TLR regrets the error.)

There now follows a 15-day window for responses to be filed. A motion to stay was filed yesterday; TLR is working to obtain a copy of that motion. Insiders tell TLR that a decision on whether to grant, decline, or dismiss the petition is likely within 60 days. Stay tuned!

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17/08/2025

Several readers have speculated whether Commissioner Coates will appeal to the Supreme Court of Maryland. If she chooses to do so, how and when we will find that out? Briefly, here’s how it works:

After the Appellate Court of Maryland issues its final mandate in an appeal, if a party wishes to petition the state supreme court of to review the lower court’s ruling — called a writ of certiorari — it has to do so within 15 days of the mandate’s issuance. The ACM issued its mandate on June 30, so the petition would had to have been filed by yesterday, July 15.

Every month on the last Friday, the SCM issues a list of petitions granted, declined, or dismissed. The earliest that we might expect to see the case appear on the list, therefore, would be Friday, Aug. 29. However, it’s unlikely to be that soon because the court’s members will want to review and discuss the merits of the case first.

I’ve set up a recurring reminder on TLR’s editorial calendar to check in on the monthly petitions list. I’ll keep you posted.

2025JulyJuneMayAprilMarchFebruaryJanuary2024DecemberNovemberOctoberSeptemberAugustJulyJuneMayAprilMarchFebruaryJanuary2023DecemberNovemberOctoberSeptemberAugustJulyJuneMayAprilMarchFebruaryJanuary2022DecemberNovemberOctoberSeptemberAugustJulyJuneMayAprilMarchFebruaryJanuaryArchive of Petitions for....

01/08/2025

Today the clerk of the Appellate Court of Maryland signed and issued a mandate in Coates v Commissioners finalizing last month’s opinion. There were no last-minute filings from any of the parties challenging the opinion. The mandate also listed the court costs (just over $5,000) that Commissioner Coates is required to pay for the appeal.

Unless Commissioner Coates appeals to the Supreme Court of Maryland, the mandate marks the end of a convoluted and polarizing legal saga that has lasted over 2 1/2 years and has cost Charles County taxpayers north of $1 million.

06/07/2025

As we wait for the 30-day review window to close, TLR takes a look at some of the highlights of last Monday's appellate court ruling in Coates v. Commissioners.

A little over eight months after hearing oral arguments in Thomasina O. Coates v. The Charles County Board of County Commissioners, et al. — in which District 2 Commissioner Thomasina Coates (D) so…

06/07/2025

A little over eight months after hearing oral arguments in Thomasina O. Coates v. The Charles County Board of County Commissioners, et al. — in which District 2 Commissioner Thomasina Coates (D) sought to challenge a permanent injunction issued by the Circuit Court of Charles County barring her from voting on the employment contract of the current county administrator — the court…...

A little over eight months after hearing oral arguments in Thomasina O. Coates v. The Charles County Board of County Commissioners, et al. — in which District 2 Commissioner Thomasina Coates (D) so…

02/07/2025

Just a reminder that after an appellate opinion is issued, both parties have a 30-day window to file a motion with the court to reconsider or inform the court about errors, after which the court will issue its final judgment, called a mandate. That window closes Wednesday, July 30.

Also, there is no automatic right of appeal to the Supreme Court of Maryland except in certain special cases such as legislative redistricting. If Commissioner Coates files a writ of certiorari seeking consideration of an appeal, the odds are not favorable. In fiscal year 2023, the state supreme court granted only 20 out of 295 civil writs (just under 7%) and 13 out of 135 criminal writs (a little under 10%). In addition, the fact that the appellate opinion is recorded — meaning it can be cited as precedent — would likely weigh heavily in the Supreme Court’s consideration of the writ.

01/07/2025

A PDF of today's appellate court opinion is now available in the TLR document archive.

One interesting thing to note about this long (65-page) opinion is that it is "recorded," which means it can be used as precedent in future cases.

The findings cover permanent injunctions (including standing, the political question doctrine, and the function of prompt and remedial action in employment discrimination and local government), the issue of abuse of discretion in determining the relevance of evidence, and waivers of attorney-client privilege in local government. There's a lot to read here, and it's all worthwhile.

As a public service, TLR is making available copies of selected documents filed in the court cases resulting from the question of whether District 2 Commissioner Thomasina Coates (D) is allowed to …

30/06/2025

BREAKING: The Appellate Court of Maryland today issued its opinion in the case of Coates v. Charles County Commissioners. In a 65-page written opinion, Judge Douglas R.M. Nazarian, writing for the three-judge panel that heard oral arguments last October, affirmed the decisions and analysis of the Circuit Court of Charles County “in all respects.”

Stay tuned to TLR for a detailed analysis of the court’s opinion and what’s next for all the parties.

17/01/2025

UPDATE: The draft version of the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025 restores funding for the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit project through the use of consolidated transit bonds. TLR will follow the budget debates to see if the proposed funding makes it through to the final budget.

19/11/2024

At tonight’s Board of County Commissioners open session, it was revealed that as of Nov. 15, the county has paid out just under $1.5 million in the legal case arising from the board’s decision to bar District 2 Commissioner Thomasina Coates (D) from voting on the employment contract of County Administrator Mark Belton. It was also revealed that there is a potential liability to the county of over $139,000 if it were to be sued for the payment of Coates’ legal fees in her appeal of the circuit court decision that was issued last September.

At the request of District 3 Commissioner Amanda M. Stewart (D), the County Attorney’s Office will break down the costs by case (circuit court case and Appellate Court of Maryland appeal) and present those numbers at a future open session.

14/10/2024

Just over a year after a circuit court judge upheld a decision by the Board of Charles County Commissioners to bar District 2 Commissioner Thomasina Coates (D) from voting on the employment contract of the current county administrator, attorneys for both sides returned to court last week to argue whether the ruling should be overturned. Attorneys representing Coates and her opponents — District 3 Commissioner Amanda M....

Just over a year after a circuit court judge upheld a decision by the Board of Charles County Commissioners to bar District 2 Commissioner Thomasina Coates (D) from voting on the employment contrac…