Today, at 11 AM, at 1501 S. Clinton Street (4th Floor), Democratic candidate for State’s Attorney Thiru Vignarajah will share with the public internal documents showing that the State’s Attorney has asked senior supervisors to volunteer to cover district court dockets because of massive staffing shortages. The documents were provided exclusively to Vignarajah by prosecutors still working there who reached out to him on the condition of anonymity, desperately hoping that he will win the election and bring much-needed change and leadership to an office in disarray.
The documents show a district court docket sign-up sheet, which according to Vignarajah’s sources, is maintained on a shared internal drive where supervisors and other senior attorneys are asked to volunteer to cover district court dockets. The supervisors were directed by the Office’s leadership not to communicate by email about the request and only to relay the request to other senior prosecutors in person or over the phone. Supervisors who have volunteered their time include the chief and deputy chief of the homicide division.
Vignarajah’s campaign is also electing to share at this time the endorsement of a former senior prosecutor, Michael Hudak, who recently left the office. A circuit court judge recently excoriated the Office’s failure to address the impact of departures on major cases including a high-profile, multi-defendant prosecution that Hudak and another former colleague had handled.
In a statement, Hudak wrote: “It is essential (maybe more so this year than any recent election year) that we vote and support the candidate who we believe will fight every breathing moment to keep our communities safe and at the same time provide accountability to the criminal justice system.
That candidate is Thiru Vignarajah and for these reasons he has my vote and I urge you to support him for State’s Attorney
As all of my fellow Baltimoreans are aware, our city is facing complex challenges related to lawlessness, economic disadvantage, and accountability.
Thiru is a proven leader and has a track record of continuously advocating for the underdog.
His honest, creative, realistic, and hopeful insight into our community’s problems and its needs is exactly the change we need right now.”
