No. 5: Maryland laws challenged in high courts

( December 28, 2012 )

The state's 2008 law to institute DNA collection at arrest was overturned by the Maryland Court of Appeals in April, with judges agreeing with civil liberties groups that have argued that people are presumed innocent until convicted. But the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the case and allowed collection to continue, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. calling it "a valuable tool for investigating unsolved crimes" and signaling that there was a "fair prospect" that the high court would overturn the appeals court's decision.

Meanwhile, a federal appeals court is also set to hear a case on Maryland's carry permit process after a federal district judge struck down the state's requirement that Marylanders show a "good and substantial reason" to obtain a permit. The Maryland Attorney General's Office appealed the decision, and the law has been allowed to stand while the case is resolved.