Maryland legislature overrides governor’s veto on slavery reparation commission News
BruceEmmerling / Pixabay
Maryland legislature overrides governor’s veto on slavery reparation commission

The Maryland legislature overrode a veto by Governor Wes Moore on Tuesday, clearing the way for the creation of a commission to study potential reparations for slavery.

The bill’s veto was overridden in the Maryland House by a vote of 93-35 and in the Maryland Senate by a vote of 31-14. The passage of the bill creates the Maryland Reparations Committee, whose stated purpose is to “study and make recommendations relating to appropriate benefits to be made to individuals whose ancestors were enslaved in the State or were impacted by certain inequitable government policies[.]” The potential reparations detailed in the bill include apology statements, monetary compensation, property tax rebates, as well as assistance in making a downpayment on a home and tuition payment waivers for higher education.

Momentum for the creation of the committee intensified following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, yet the idea has faced serious backlash amidst the current conservative push on the use of race and inequality in public institutions. After the initial drafts and revisions of the bill in early 2025, Maryland Governor Wes Moore voted to veto the bill on May 16, 2025. In his veto letter Moore, the nation’s sole sitting Black governor, argued that Maryland has already undertaken extensive studies examining the impacts of slavery on the state’s residents and emphasized the need to move from study to action, stating:

I will always protect and defend the full history of African Americans in our state and country. But in light of the many important studies that have taken place on this issue over nearly three decades, now is the time to focus on the work itself: Narrowing the racial wealth gap, expanding homeownership, uplifting entrepreneurs of color, and closing the foundational disparities that lead to inequality – from food insecurity to education. These are the issues I fought for even before I was sworn into office, and they are the priorities our administration will continue to address, with increased focus and intentionality.

The timeline of the study requires the Commission to submit a preliminary report by January 1, 2027, and a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2027.

THIS DAY @ LAW

First impeachment trial began in US Senate

On December 17, 1798, the US Senate began its first impeachment trial. Senator William Blount of Tennessee, a land speculator, was accused of plotting with England to wrest control of Florida from Spain. The Senate ultimately dismissed the charges for lack of jurisdiction—and, perhaps incidentally, lack of Blount, who had gone to Tennessee and had refused to return to the Senate for trial. Read more on the trial of William Blount.

Simon Bolivar dies

On December 17, 1830, South American revolutionary Simon Bolivar died in Colombia. During his lifetime, Bolivar led successful revolutions against Spanish colonial rule throughout South America. His efforts led to the independence of the modern-day nations of Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador and Bolivia, a nation named in his honor.