Brown, Goldstein & Levy partner Andy Levy was recently tapped as an authority on election law following the abrupt resignation of Baltimore Delegate Stephanie Smith’s campaign treasurer soon after increased media attention regarding campaign finance violations. The article, entitled, “Baltimore delegate’s campaign treasurer resigns after questions from FOX45 News about violations,” examines what one of Delegate Smith’s campaign’s lack of compliance with Maryland’s election law.
“I was surprised at the number of times in the last several years in which the campaign has been late in filing the required disclosure forms and has been fined for it,” Andy said in an interview with FOX45.
Delegate Smith has received 12 campaign finance violations for late filings since first running to represent Northeast Baltimore in the General Assembly. FOX45 reported that Smith’s campaign had eight late filing violations, resulting in more than $7,800 in fines, with five of those violations referred to the Office of the State Prosecutor for further enforcement, according to campaign finance records.
“It is surprising since Delegate Smith is a lawyer, is a member of the Bar, and therefore, presumably, is capable of dealing with pretty complex things in a competent way, to allow the campaign to at least have the appearance of such disarray in terms of filing these forms,” Andy said. “They are complicated, but, you know, it isn’t rocket science.”
Andy, a prominent civil and criminal litigator, including election law matters, also pointed out that frequent election violations can result in higher scrutiny from prosecutors and the public. “Anyone can make a mistake once or twice, but when it happens year after year, then it could be more serious,” he said.
Andy Levy is widely regarded as one of Maryland’s premier trial and appellate lawyers, equally comfortable in civil and criminal courtrooms, before a jury, judge, or arbitrator. He is a Fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, one of the few lawyers in the country to have been inducted as a Fellow of both organizations.
He is listed in Best Lawyers in America in nine categories and is among a distinguished group of attorneys to have been named in Best Lawyers for twenty years. He has also been consistently recognized by Chambers USA and has been recognized by Maryland Super Lawyers each year since 1999. Andy is the 2020 recipient of the Maryland State Bar Association Criminal Law & Practice Section Robert C. Heeney Award for lifetime achievement in the field of criminal law and practice, and the Lorraine Sheehan Lifetime Achievement Award from Disability Rights Maryland. Learn more about Andy and his practice here.
Read the full FOX45 story here.
Founded in 1982, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, D.C. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.