March 4, 2025 Story by: Editor
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland is seeking to dismiss a federal civil rights case against the Maryland State Police, which alleged discrimination against Black and female applicants. This move, directed by the Justice Department, follows a broader effort by the Trump administration to roll back Biden-era civil rights lawsuits.
A dismissal filing submitted in U.S. District Court in Maryland did not clarify the reasoning behind the case’s termination or specify how the state should proceed. The case had already reached a resolution months earlier when Maryland agreed to a consent decree with the Justice Department, entailing a $2.75 million settlement and policy reforms.
The future of the settlement payments and other requirements under the consent decree remains uncertain following the federal prosecutors’ move to dismiss the case.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated Wednesday that the Maryland case was one of several civil rights lawsuits dismissed this week in an effort to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in line with President Donald Trump’s directives. Other dismissed cases in North Carolina, Indiana, and Georgia also involved discrimination claims affecting Black and female job applicants.
The filing comes just two weeks after the Trump administration dismissed Maryland’s U.S. attorney, Erek Barron, as part of an initiative to remove federal prosecutors appointed under the Biden administration.
Barron, Maryland’s first Black U.S. attorney, and a former state lawmaker, initiated the investigation into the Maryland State Police in July 2022, citing long-standing allegations from Black troopers about discriminatory practices.
The investigation concluded that the Maryland State Police had utilized a written test that disproportionately disqualified Black candidates and a physical test that disadvantaged female candidates, both in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Neither the U.S. attorney’s office nor Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) provided a comment on the matter when reached Thursday.
Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. affirmed in a statement that the agency “will remain committed to enhancing recruitment and hiring practices to ensure fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity for all applicants.”
While Butler did not specify whether Maryland would continue implementing the consent decree’s provisions independently, he confirmed the agency’s commitment to developing new written and physical agility tests in response to the investigation’s findings.
Maryland state trooper Anthony Alexander, president of the Coalition of Black Maryland State Troopers, emphasized the need for continued reform despite the federal government’s withdrawal.
“The problem is not going away,” Alexander said. “If they think this is a segue to not doing anything, they’re wrong. The stain is still there.”
When the settlement was announced in late 2024, Butler described the changes as “an improvement to our hiring processes” and an “opportunity to engage with experts to enhance our ability to assess new applicants and continue to have our Maryland State Police be the career of choice for every Marylander.”
He also stated in October that “the Maryland State Police is fully committed to meeting the consent decree guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of Justice and remains fully dedicated to supporting our sworn personnel, protecting our communities, and serving the people of Maryland.”
Under the agreement, Maryland State Police had pledged to revamp its written and physical exams and provide federal officials with hiring data to ensure compliance. The consent decree also mandated a $2.75 million payout to applicants disqualified by the previous hiring tests and required the agency to consider hiring up to 25 of those individuals if they met the revised selection criteria.
Additionally, the agreement stipulated that Maryland State Police appoint an independent compliance officer and engage external experts to develop new hiring assessments, subject to federal approval.
In a news release, the Justice Department defended the decision to dismiss the Maryland case and similar lawsuits, arguing that the cases “unjustly targeted fire and police departments for using standard aptitude tests to screen firefighter and police officer candidates.”
Bondi asserted that public safety roles should be filled based on “skill and dedication to public safety — not to meet DEI quotas.”
Meanwhile, a separate lawsuit filed by a group of state troopers against Maryland State Police remains active. The suit, brought in U.S. District Court in Maryland, accuses the agency of systematically denying promotions to officers of color, enforcing harsher disciplinary actions against them compared to White officers, and fostering a work environment where racist comments were tolerated.
Jay Holland, the attorney representing the troopers, said the Justice Department’s decision would not impact their case.
“It will not affect our case one iota,” Holland said. “Whether this new administration has any interest in enforcing our country’s civil rights laws does not affect our interest in doing so for the state troopers who have been victims of illegal discrimination. We will continue to fight for the equal rights of our state troopers.”
Holland further criticized the Justice Department’s move, asserting that the agency’s lengthy investigation had already confirmed Maryland State Police’s discriminatory practices.
“These actions by the United States Government can only serve to undermine our monumentally important civil rights laws,” he said.
Source: Washington Post
