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[SNIP] Barksdale said he built his work ethic tending to his father's dairy farm in rural southern Virginia. "You work in an office," he said, "you are not really working."

[SNIP] Barksdale, 38, is one of four lawyers challenging six sitting Circuit Court judges in the nonpartisan judicial race, marking the first time since 1986 that incumbent judges are facing contested elections. "I have nothing but respect for the judiciary," he said. At the same time, Barksdale said, "If someone has the word 'judge' in front of their names, that doesn't mean they have more experience than some litigators in this county." Barksdale said he built his work ethic tending to his father's dairy farm in rural southern Virginia. "You work in an office," he said, "you are not really...

[SNIP] Barksdale, 38, is one of four lawyers challenging six sitting Circuit Court judges in the nonpartisan judicial race, marking the first time since 1986 that incumbent judges are facing contested elections. "I have nothing but respect for the judiciary," he said. At the same time, Barksdale said, "If someone has the word 'judge' in front of their names, that doesn't mean they have more experience than some litigators in this county."

A federal grand jury is investigating whether an anti-crime agency overseen by Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend improperly used federal funds for political purposes, according to interviews with former employees of the agency and records subpoenaed as part of the probe. The agency released records yesterday revealing that it has used millions of federal crime-fighting dollars to increase the size of its staff, lease cars for staff members and create a Web site that touts Townsend's "legacy" as a crime fighter.

Maryland Republican leaders yesterday called for an investigation into the conduct of Robert M. Bell, chief judge of the state's highest court, in response to new disclosures about his contacts with two high-ranking Democratic lawmakers while state redistricting maps were still under court review.

Charles B. Barksdale, a last-minute entrant into the crowded Circuit Court judicial race, hopes to parlay his 14 years of legal experience into a seat on the bench. "I have a lot of experience. I have good legal skills," said Barksdale, a senior litigator with the Office of the Corporation Counsel in Washington, D.C. "I have a very strong feeling I would be a good judge." Barksdale, 38, is one of four lawyers challenging six sitting Circuit Court judges in the nonpartisan judicial race, marking the first time since 1986 that incumbent judges are facing contested elections. "I have nothing...

Bloopers Gone Wild It's official: KKT's propensity for getting things upside down and backward in her speeches is not a legitimate election issue. So says Towson University professor Michael Vatz in Monday's edition of The (Baltimore) Sun. According to Vatz, ``There are lines that negative criticism should not cross," including ``Ms. Townsend's inarticulateness and gaffes. This is a point that may well be considered by voters, but it is not legitimate as an issue." Nevertheless, the press corps is keeping a growing anthology of ``KKT's Bloopers Gone Wild," including, of course, her famous congratulations to the NFL's Baltimore Ravens for...

Frodo Baggins of Bagshot Row, Hobbiton, The Shire, Middle Earth, has been called before the International Criminal Court to answer charges of war crimes brought by Sauron the Dark Lord and Saruman the White in a joint filing. [SNIP] The charges brought by Sauron and Saruman are serious and were commented on at length by the Dark Lord himself at a press conference held after he delivered the formal papers to the Court. As a full signatory to the Court's original charter, Sauron is legally entitled to bring charges before the Court, and the Court's decision will be binding on...

Charles B. Barksdale, 38, an attorney with the Office of the Corporation Counsel in Washington, D.C., joins Shalleck, Eldridge and school board member Stephen N. Abrams in challenging the judges -- the first time since 1986 that anyone has tried to knock sitting judges off the bench. Eldridge is a Democrat; the other three are Republicans.

Charles B. Barksdale is a seasoned litigator with over fourteen years of experience in Maryland state and federal courts. Mr. Barksdale currently works as a Senior Litigator with the Office of the Corporation Counsel, D.C. Mr. Barksdale has maintained a perfect record with the Office of the Corporation Counsel, never having lost a case in over three years. Mr. Barksdale has been recognized by the Office of the Corporation Counsel for his perfect record and exemplary legal skills. Mr. Barksdale is a former Maryland Assistant State's Attorney, and a former attorney for the City of Laurel, Maryland. In addition, Mr....

The star witness against the government of Iraq hobbled into the room, her legs braced with clumsy metal callipers. "Anna" had been tortured two years ago. She is now four years old. Her father, Ali, is a thick-set Iraqi who used to work for Saddam's psychopathic son, Uday. Some time after the bungled assassination of Uday, Ali fell under suspicion. He fled north, to the Kurdish safe haven policed by Western fighter planes, but leaving his wife and daughter behind in Baghdad. So the secret police came for his wife. Where is he? They tortured her. And when she didn't...

Baltimore's police union endorsed Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s bid for governor Monday night, the first time the organization has endorsed a Republican gubernatorial candidate in 36 years. The board of directors of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3, which represents 5,000 current and retired city police officers, unanimously selected Ehrlich over Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend two weeks ago. The full union membership ratified the board's decision at a meeting Monday night.

[SNIP] O'Malley, who ran for Montgomery County State's Attorney in 1998, put a copy of his manuscript, titled ``Deep Throat: Fact or Fiction,'' on the Internet last week. The book can be downloaded for $12. Dean is expected to publish his own e-book on the online magazine site Salon.com on June 17, the 30th anniversary of the bungled Watergate break-in, with his theories of who Deep Throat was. O'Malley said he doesn't need to put forth any theories, he has a confession from the source himself - Joe Lowther, a former aide to Watergate Judge John J. Sirica and one-time...

[SNIP] I find it shameful that, in part because of the fault of the Left-no, especially because of the fault of the Left (think of the Left that begins its congresses applauding the PLO representative in Italy, who represents here the Palestinians who seek Israel's destruction)-the Jews in Italian cities once again are frightened. And in French and Dutch and Danish and German cities, it is the same. I find it shameful that when the scoundrels dressed as kamikazes march, (Jews) shudder as they trembled in Berlin during Kristallnacht, that is, the night on which Hitler began the hunt of...

ANNAPOLIS -- The state Court of Appeals struck down Maryland's legislative redistricting plan today and said it will draw up its own districts for election of the 188 members of the General Assembly. The court ruled the plan prepared by Democratic Gov. Parris N. Glendening violated constitutional requirements that legislative districts be compact. It said the governor also did not give due regard to county boundaries. The court said it will prepare its own plan.

O'Brien: No, not the movie. I'm talking about the book. I'd like to talk about the impact it's had on Las Vegas. Thompson: Well, I'd like to hear about that. I'd love to comment on that. Tell me one example of the impact it's had on the city. O'Brien: Well, it affected me personally. I read the book when I was in college in Atlanta, Ga. And it put an image of Las Vegas in my head and made me in some ways want to move out here, which I did in December of 1997. I think you paint such...

With Israel under fire, at least one interest group is remaining steadfast in its support for the Jewish state — the Christian right. The Christian right's affinity for Israel isn't new, but it has taken on fresh prominence as Jews feel isolated in the face of increased global support for the Palestinian intifada. Jewish groups now are more likely to publicly acknowledge the evangelicals' support, showing their appreciation and, perhaps, hoping that other religious groups might follow their lead.

<p>Maryland Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele has asked the state Court of Appeals to begin criminal contempt proceedings against four Democratic state senators who contacted judges about redistricting while the court was hearing lawsuits over the new legislative map.</p>

Maryland's highest court yesterday revealed that a fourth Democratic senator contacted a judge about legislative redistricting, broadening a controversy over the political map that will define State House elections for the next decade. [SNIP] Yesterday, Chief Judge Robert M. Bell said he had "overlooked" yet another contact: a March 8 meeting with Senate Majority Leader Clarence W. Blount ([D] Baltimore).

"[Maryland] Senator Miller [D] has a history of attempting to bully the judiciary," said Del. Robert L. Flanagan (R-Howard). [SNIP] According to one lawsuit, filed by Prince George's County Executive Wayne K. Curry (D), the most egregious example of boundary-crossing occurs in District 27, newly drawn to accommodate Miller's move out of his family's Prince George's home and into a waterfront mansion in Calvert County. [SNIP] [Sen.] Ruben [D - Montgomery], asked whether Miller told her to call Raker, said: "I'm not going to respond to that."