Bryan Sears

Bryan P. Sears

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Bryan Sears covers the governor and General Assembly, state politics and transportation for Maryland Matters. He has covered the Maryland State House for the last two decades at the Baltimore Sun Media Group, Patch.com and most recently, The Daily Record. Sears has won multiple state and national awards for police and crime reporting, local and state government coverage and investigative reporting that resulted in a guilty plea by a government official for stealing from his own campaign account. He’s a frequent radio and television contributor.

Rockville diner group files lawsuit against airport concessionaire
Maryland

Rockville diner group files lawsuit against airport concessionaire

Sep 08, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
A Rockville-owned and operated diner chain is suing a Germany-based corporation for what it says are attempts to end its decades-long operations at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport. Silver Diner filed the lawsuit in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court against...
Justices question both sides in down-to-the-wire redistricting arguments
Maryland

Maryland Supreme Court says redistricting ballot question can go to voters

Sep 03, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
A proposed ballot question that could set new standards for the way congressional maps are drawn in Maryland will go to voters in November, the Supreme Court of Maryland ruled Thursday evening. The order from a divided high court overturned...
Maryland Transportation Authority failed to collect $818.1 million in tolls, penalties
Maryland

Maryland Transportation Authority failed to collect $818.1 million in tolls, penalties

Sep 01, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
The agency that oversees the state’s toll roads and bridges has failed to collect more than $818 million in tolls and fees it was owed, according to a new audit. The audit released Tuesday finds the Maryland Transportation Authority failed...
Proposed six-year transportation plan focuses on priorities, not new projects
Maryland

Proposed six-year transportation plan focuses on priorities, not new projects

Sep 01, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
Maryland will spend marginally fewer dollars on roads and transit projects in the coming six years, when funds will be directed at existing projects as well as those in the pipeline prioritized for safety, maintenance and economic development. A proposed...
Republicans win in Dorchester challenge to redistricting ballot question
Maryland

Republicans win in Dorchester challenge to redistricting ballot question

Aug 28, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
The Maryland General Assembly violated the state constitution and the Declaration of Rights and failed to follow election laws when it passed a proposed redistricting amendment to the state constitution, a Circuit Court judge in Cambridge ruled Friday. The 12-page...
Dorchester judge promises quick decision in second redistricting challenge
Maryland

Dorchester judge promises quick decision in second redistricting challenge

Aug 27, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
An Eastern Shore Republican lawmaker said he is “very confident” that a Dorchester County judge will strike down a proposed amendment to the Maryland Constitution that seeks to set standards for how congressional districts are drawn. The case heard Thursday...
Maryland Republicans take round one in redistricting challenge
Maryland

Maryland Republicans take round one in redistricting challenge

Aug 26, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
Maryland Republicans challenging a proposed state constitutional amendment on how congressional districts are drawn won an initial courtroom skirmish Wednesday, when an Anne Arundel County Circuit judge found multiple legal problems with how lawmakers passed the bill and the wording...
Judge expresses concerns, delays ruling in challenge to redistricting amendment
Maryland

Judge expresses concerns, delays ruling in challenge to redistricting amendment

Aug 26, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
The Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge overseeing a legal challenge to a proposed constitutional amendment on redistricting said Tuesday there are a “couple things that trouble me about this case.” The comments by Circuit Judge Robert J. Thompson came...
Guthrie exhausts appeals to regain council seat lost after a 2024 felony theft hearing
Maryland

Guthrie exhausts appeals to regain council seat lost after a 2024 felony theft hearing

Aug 25, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
A former Harford County Councilman is not backing down from claims he was wrongfully removed from office after entering a no contest plea to felony theft charges, even after the Maryland Supreme Court rejected his case Friday. The high court’s...
Judge rejects request to move redistricting lawsuit from Dorchester County
Maryland

Judge rejects request to move redistricting lawsuit from Dorchester County

Aug 21, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
A Dorchester County judge rejected a request to move a lawsuit challenging the state’s proposed new redistricting regulations to Anne Arundel County, meaning two challenges to the planned constitutional amendment will move forward on two tracks on an extremely tight...
Tax system down temporarily as billions of records move to cloud-based system
Maryland

Tax system down temporarily as billions of records move to cloud-based system

Aug 20, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
Maryland’s tax administration system is getting update. Comptroller Brooke Lierman Wednesday announced the current system — which dates back to when she was a student at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda — will move from a mainframe to the...
Second lawsuit challenging redistricting amendment filed in Dorchester County
Maryland

Second lawsuit challenging redistricting amendment filed in Dorchester County

Aug 18, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
A national law firm that advised Louisiana lawmakers on a redistricting effort that later resulted in the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upending the landmark Voting Rights Act is representing a group of Maryland Republicans seeking to block a proposed...