Overview
- On Tuesday, July 28, retired Judge Pamela White heard hours of argument in the lawsuit and declined to rule immediately, saying she will try to decide within 30 days but that the timeline could slip.
- Inspector General Isabel Cumming says the voter-approved city charter gives her office independent subpoena power and de facto custodianship of city records for investigations, and her lawyers say the Maryland Public Information Act should not block formal investigative subpoenas.
- Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration argues Cumming sought unprecedented, unfettered access and that attorney-client and work-product privileges plus the Maryland Public Information Act limit direct access to legal files and other records.
- The dispute began after the city cut the OIG’s direct access to legal files in January and later to all city documents during an investigation of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and its Side-Step youth diversion program.
- The judge’s decision could change how Baltimore oversight works by clarifying whether an independent watchdog can get immediate, broad access to internal memos and emails, a point former city lawyers warn is essential for timely investigations.