MARYLAND — On Thursday, Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced that he will not seek another term as Attorney General.
He sent the following message to his staff:
Dear Friends:
I am writing to let you know that after 35 years in public service, I have made the difficult decision not to seek re-election as Attorney General.
My work with you has been the most rewarding, fulfilling and, I believe, productive experience of my professional life. I continue to treasure the opportunity to work with all the talented and dedicated people that make up our great office.
It is more important than ever to remember the words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
I still have about 15 months as Attorney General. I intend to make the most of every single moment. I will continue to work with you to provide the best possible legal advice to our clients, to protect Marylanders, to improve their lives and to fight for justice.
Thanks to each and every one of you for your service to our state. I appreciate more than I can ever express, the friendship and support that you have shown me. Let us make the most of the remaining time we have together.
Under Attorney General Frosh’s leadership, the Office of the Attorney General has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for Maryland consumers and the State from predatory lenders, Wall Street banks, drug companies, automobile manufacturers, tobacco companies and polluters. It has indicted and prosecuted dangerous gang members, drug dealers, human traffickers, and pill mill operators, and it has led efforts to protect our land, water, and air from polluters.
Attorney General Frosh was the first Attorney General in the nation to issue guidance prohibiting discriminatory profiling by law enforcement. He also conducted a study and released a report, “The State of Marriage Equality in America” that was cited in the Supreme Court’s historic Obergefeld decision.
Among the achievements of the Office of Attorney General during General Frosh’s leadership are the following:
Legal actions that protected Marylanders and the country against many of the worst, illegal acts of the Trump Administration, including lawsuits to:
- preserve the Affordable Care Act
- protect the Clean Power Plan
- overturn the Muslim Ban
- protect women’s rights to reproductive health care services
invalidate rules that would undermine protections against air pollution, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions
safeguard Marylanders from exposure to toxic chemicals
- protect Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s shoreline from offshore oil drilling
- enforce the Emoluments Clauses of the US Constitution
- stop the President from using his office for personal gain
Other accomplishments include:
- Leading efforts to reform Maryland’s cash-bail system that unfairly imprisoned people for being poor
- Leading the effort to halt the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for failure to pay fines for minor traffic offenses
- Holding accountable nursing homes that were abusing elderly and vulnerable adults
- Successfully defending the Maryland Firearm Safety Act
- Creating and leading the COVID-19 Access to Justice Task Force to address the civil legal needs of minority, low-income, and vulnerable Marylanders that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
