Maryland Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Maryland, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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Can Maryland ban liquor licenses within 300 feet of a church's property line, and does that cover a church hall or parsonage?
Maryland's Attorney General concluded that Somerset County's 300-foot buffer between certain liquor licenses and church property does not violate the First Amendment, that the distance is measured fro…
Can a public university have a privately funded kosher dining hall without violating the separation of church and state?
The Attorney General concluded in 1990 that a privately funded kosher kitchen in leased dining space at Towson State University would not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The k…
Could Maryland exempt religious child care centers from state licensing without violating the separation of church and state?
In a 1989 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that the General Assembly was constitutionally free, though not constitutionally required, to exempt religiously-affiliated child care centers …
Can a Maryland public school district let students from private religious schools use a public science center?
In a 1988 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that Prince George's County's Board of Education could constitutionally open the Howard B. Owens Science Center, including its pre- and post-vi…
Did the Supreme Court's ruling striking down Connecticut's Sabbath-observance law also make Maryland's retail day-of-rest laws unconstitutional?
In this 1985 opinion, the Attorney General concluded that Maryland's county-specific statutes letting retail and wholesale employees choose Sunday or their Sabbath as a day of rest were significantly …
Could Maryland public school students hold a voluntary Bible study or prayer group during free time in the 1980s?
In this 1984 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that Baltimore County schools could permit students to form voluntary prayer or Bible study groups during genuinely free, unstructured tim…
Could a state-funded historic preservation trust rent out a former church for weddings and other religious events without violating the ban on using bond money for religious purposes?
In this 1984 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that a nonprofit trust that received a state construction bond to preserve a historic former church could rent the hall for occasional wed…
Can a public high school officially recognize a Christian student club, like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as a school organization?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that while a public high school could let a religious student club use school facilities after hours like any other community group, grant…
Could Maryland have required every public school student to pray, read the Bible, or meditate each morning?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that Senate Bill 2, which would have required every public school student to affirmatively choose to pray, read the Holy Scripture, or med…
Could Maryland have required public schools to give equal classroom time to creation-science and evolution?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that House Bill 1078, which would have required public schools to give creation-science and evolution-science equal time, equal textbook p…
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Attorney general opinions in Maryland are written by the Maryland Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.