No impeachment
for pro-gay Maryland judge

Republican delegate Don Dwyer of Anne Arundel County, Md., has long promised to impeach any judge who attempted to overturn Maryland law banning same-sex marriage. And after Baltimore circuit court judge M. Brooke Murdock ruled in favor of same-sex marriage earlier this year, Dwyer vowed to carry out that promise. But his fellow lawmakers didn't agree, voting 20-3 late Thursday to reject a proposal to impeach Murdock.

According to the news Web site Maryland Online, Thursday's committee hearing was held near midnight to discourage attendance by the public or the news media. Dwyer, who earlier this session made a failed effort to get a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the November ballot, took the opportunity to warn his colleagues about their inaction. "I have kept my commitment to the citizens of Maryland that I would hold the court accountable," Dwyer said. "I have done my duty to protect and defend the laws of Maryland, and I have carried the ball to the end. At the end of the day, I am not responsible for my colleagues' inaction, but the citizens of Maryland might want to remember this during November's election." (Advocate.com)