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Doug Gansler
| Douglas F. Gansler | ||
 | ||
| Attorney General of Maryland | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2006 - Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| 2014 | ||
| Years in position | 7 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Yale University | |
| J.D. | University Of Virginia School of Law | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | 1962 | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
Education
- Bachelor's degree, Yale University (cum laude)
- Juris Doctorate degree, University of Virginia School of Law
Professional experience
Shortly after graduating from law school, Gansler worked as a clerk for Judge John C. McAuliffe on the United States Court of Appeals. Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1989 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1990, he joined the private practice law firms of Coburn & Schertler and Howrey & Simon, remaining there for two years beginning in 1990. From 1992 to 1998, Gansler was an assistant to the United States Attorney General for the District of Maryland. A year later, he served as the State's Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland, holding the state governmental position from 1999 to 2007. As State Attorney, he prosecuted several high-profile cases including the Beltway Snipers John Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo. [2]
Legal opinions
Same-sex marriage
On February 25, 2010, Gansler published the opinion that stated that "there is no law in Maryland that says we don't recognize out-of-state marriages between same-sex couples." [3] This, in effect, requires state agencies to extend all benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy to married gay couples. At the same time, however, this ruling does not apply to private industries nor does it suggest that state law permits homosexuals to be wed there.
Controversies
ACORN
The June 2008 Survey and Scorecard report published by the embattled liberal political organization, ACORN, gave Gansler an A letter grade. The report was published to shine the spotlight on state attorneys general "leading the fight to protect homeowners from joining the flood of Americans losing their homes to foreclosure," so says the group. [4] The grade distributed to the individual attorneys general "generally broke down along party lines," with the exception of Louisiana's Buddy Caldwell. [5]
Impeachment attempt
As a result of Gansler's February 2010 legal opinion, in which he argued that state courts must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, an inquiry led by Republican State Delegate Don Dwyer, Jr. was made as to whether or not the Maryland House of Delegates had the authority to impeach the state's attorney general. Dwyer and his supporters argued that the line in Article III of the Maryland State Constitution, in which it states that "the House of Delegates shall have the sole power of impeachment in all cases," gives the state legislative body that power. [6] Others argue, however, that there is a conflict within the state constitution on this particular issue, pointing out another provision that says that the state attorney general "shall be subject to removal for incompetency, willful neglect of duty or misdemeanor in office, on conviction in a Court of Law."
Democratic House Speaker Michael Busch appointed a Democratic delegate as parliamentarian to interpret the rules for the House. In response, Dwyer filed an ethics against Busch for not delegating the position to a staff member, as is done in other legislatures. [7] On Wednesday, March 31, 2010, the State House Judiciary Committee voted 15-5 opposing taking such action against Gansler, contending that his legal opinion "did not merit impeachment proceedings." [8]
Sanction
In the midst of his tenure as the State's Attorney for Montgomery County, Gansler was sanctioned by the Maryland Court of Appeals for his handling of a high profile case, supposedly violating "the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct by making comments to reporters." Judge Lynne A. Battaglia, who wrote the opinion for the court, stated that the verdict should serve as example for "Gansler and other lawyers in Maryland that improper judicial statements dangerously jeopardize the foundational principles of our system of justice." [9] Gansler insisted that the decision was politically motivated.
Political issues
Gay marriage
- See also: Same-sex marriage news
A little over three months after he delivered a legal opinion recognizing "out-of-state marriages between same-sex couples" in Maryland, State Attorney General Doug Gansler made the social-political issue the highlight of his re-election campaign. [3] Unlike any other politician within the state, he has been quite vocal in declaring that a "prohibition of gay marriage is a clear violation of equal protection." [10]
Other roles
- Member, State's Attorneys' Coordination Council (1999-2007)
- Vice-Chair, Governor's Task Force on Childproof Guns (1999 - present)
- Member, Cease Fire Council (2000 - 2003)
- Member, Task Force on Pedestrian Safety - Montgomery County (2000 - present)
- Member, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council - Montgomery County (2004 - 2007)
- Steering Committee, Bi-County Task Force on Gang Activity (2004 - present)
- Member, District of Columbia Bar Association
- Board of Directors, Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington
- Member, Jewish Foundation for Group Homes
- Member, Maryland Bar Association
- Member, Most Valuable Kids
- Member, Teen Court
- Member, Washington Regional Alcohol Program
Elections
2006
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary [11] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party |  Doug Gansler
|
55.7% | |
| Democratic Party | Stuart O. Simms | 44.3% | |
| Total Votes | 513,715 | ||
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - General Election [12] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | Doug Gansler
|
61.0% | |
| Republican Party | Scott L. Rolle | 38.9% | |
| Write-In | 0.1% | ||
| Total Votes | 1,710,839 | ||
2010
- See also: Maryland Attorney General election, 2010
- 2010 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary and General Election [13] [14]
- Doug Gansler ran unopposed in both of these contests
Campaign donors
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Doug Gansler's donors each year.[15] Click [show] for more information.
| Doug Gansler's Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Attorney General of Maryland | 2006 Attorney General of Maryland | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised | $1,819,963 | $1,341,274 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | n/a | $219,577 | |||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 contributors | Whiteford Taylor & Preston | $6,000 | Daga Inc | $6,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Democratic Attorneys General Association | $6,000 | DLA Piper Rudnick | $6,000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Democratic Attorneys General Association - Missouri | $6,000 | Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 | $5,500 | ||||||||||||||||
| McGeo Food & Commercial Workers Local 1994 | $5,500 | 1886 PAC | $5,000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Oakland Law Group PLLC, GMRI Inc and 14 individual donors | $4,000 each | Western Union | $5,000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Individuals | $1,188,857 | $906,965 | |||||||||||||||||
| Institutions | $585,532 | $395,551 | |||||||||||||||||
| In-state donations | $1,066,537 | $823,514 | |||||||||||||||||
| Out-of-state donations | $712,027 | $479,702 | |||||||||||||||||
Personal
Gansler currently resides in Maryland with his wife, Laura, and their two sons - Sam and Will. He is also a practicing member of Judaism.
Awards
- Champion of Children Award (2000) from Victims' Rights Foundation
- Hero Award (2002) from Mothers' Against Drunk Driving
- Internet Keep Safe Award (2007) from iKeepSafe
- Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership (2009) from Aspen Institute
- Champion of Online Safety Award (2009) from Stop Internet Predators
- Innovator of the Year Award (2009) from Daily Record
Contact Information
Capitol Address:
Office of the Attorney General
200 Saint Paul Place
Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: 410-576-6300
Toll Free Phone: 1-888-743-0023
E-mail: oag@oag.state.md.us
External links
- Official Maryland Attorney General website
- Doug Gansler's Facebook profile
- Project Vote Smart - Doug Gansler biography
References
- ↑ WJZ 13 "Attorney General Gansler Files For Re-Election" 17 June, 2010
- ↑ The Gazette "Gansler says sniper trial cost less than $2,000" 2 Aug. 2006
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Baltimore Sun "Md. can recognize same-sex marriages" 25 Feb. 2010
- ↑ ACORN "Attorneys General Take Action: Real Leadership in Fighting Foreclosures" June 2008
- ↑ Majority in Mississippi "Jim Hood Received An “A” From ACORN In 2008" 17 Sept. 2009
- ↑ Constitution of Maryland - Article III: Legislative Department
- ↑ Maryland Reporter "Analysis: Is Maryland’s attorney general an unimpeachable source?" 29 March, 2010
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun "Committee rejects Gansler impeachment effort" 31 March, 2010
- ↑ The Daily Record "Montgomery County State's Atty. reprimanded by Court of Appeals" 13 Nov. 2003
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun "Gansler vocal on gay marriage" 2 June, 2010
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections - Official 2006 Primary Election Results
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections - Official 2006 General Election Results
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections - 2010 Primary Election Results
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections - 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ Follow the Money.org
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by J. Joseph Curran |
Maryland Attorney General 2006–present |
Succeeded by NA |
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