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The Section of Criminal Law and Practice is comprised
of nearly 500 Maryland lawyers sharing a professional interest in criminal
law and criminal justice issues. Its members include prosecutors, private
criminal defense attorneys, public defenders, law professors, appellate and
trial judges, and court administrators.
The bylaws declare the Section’s purpose
to be "to stimulate interest of the members of the Maryland Bar in the
administration of criminal justice and to seek improvements and reforms in
the criminal law." That purpose is advanced by the Section’s frequent
educational programs, by its regular publications, by the guidance it provides
to the MSBA Board of Governors on criminal justice issues, and by the policy
perspectives which it provides to the Maryland General Assembly and criminal
justice agencies and groups.
The Section’s regular newsletter informs
its members of the Section’s activities, statutory and case law developments,
and other news of interest to criminal law practitioners. The Section’s
special reports on such matters as jury selection reform and the Commission
on the Future of Maryland Courts recommendations have been instrumental in
shaping Maryland’s criminal justice policies. It sponsors at least two
continuing legal education programs per year: the Alan J. Goldstein Memorial
Program in the fall and a program in connection with the MSBA annual meeting
in June. The Robert C. Heeney Award is sponsored by the Section and is awarded
at the Section’s annual banquet each May to attorneys "exemplifying
the highest professional standards and achievement in the field of criminal
law during their distinguished careers."
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