The Lagasse Report

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…

12/10/2024

The Appellate Court of Maryland has posted the video of Monday's oral arguments in Coates v. Board of County Commissioners et al.

07/10/2024

After a little over 45 minutes, oral arguments have concluded. Next, the court will issue a written opinion. There are no deadline constraints on the court for issuing the opinion.

After the opinion is issued, both parties have a 30-day window to inform the court about errors or concerns, after which the court issues a mandate laying out the court's final judgment. Appeals to the state supreme court can be made no earlier than 30 days after the issuance of the mandate.

TLR hopes to publish a summary of the oral arguments this weekend, and will post a link to the recording of the oral arguments when they appear on the court website. Stay tuned!

07/10/2024

BREAKING: Oral arguments in Thomasina O. Coates v. The Charles County Board of Commissioners, et al. in the Appellate Court of Maryland will begin in five minutes. Watch the livestream here:

For a schedule of cases, see the Court’s schedule webpage.   Webcasts are made available to the general public for informational purposes only and do not constitute an official record of court proceedings. Rebroadcast of this transmission is prohibited without the express permission of the Suprem...

27/09/2024

A proposal by the Maryland Department of Transportation to drastically reduce the budget for the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit project would harm the region’s prospects for economic growth and continue subjecting commuters to needlessly long travel times, the Board of Charles County Commissioners and members of the state delegation told MDOT Secretary Paul Wiedefeld Tuesday afternoon during an often tense face-to-face meeting with state transportation officials.

A proposal by the Maryland Department of Transportation to drastically reduce the budget for the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit project would harm the region’s prospects for economic growth and co…