Case Title: Harvey v. DeMarinis

Citation: 

Docket Number: 26/23

State: maryland

Court: Maryland Supreme Court

Date: 2024-02-28T00:00:00Z

Document:
Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County 
Case No. C-02-CV-23-002315 
 
Argued:  February 5, 2024 
 
 
 
 
IN THE SUPREME COURT 
 
OF MARYLAND 
 
No. 26 
 
September Term, 2023 
__________________________________ 
 
DEREK HARVEY, ET AL. 
 
v.  
 
JARED DEMARINIS, IN HIS OFFICIAL 
CAPACITY AS THE STATE 
ADMINISTRATOR OF ELECTIONS, 
ET AL. 
__________________________________ 
 
Fader, C.J., 
Watts, 
Hotten, 
Booth, 
Biran, 
Gould, 
Eaves, 
 
JJ. 
__________________________________ 
 
ORDER 
__________________________________ 
 
Filed: February 28, 2024 
 
 
 
Pursuant to the Maryland Uniform Electronic Legal 
Materials Act (§§ 10-1601 et seq. of the State 
Government Article) this document is authentic. 
 
Gregory Hilton, Clerk 
2024.02.28 
10:58:52 
-05'00'
 
 
 
 
 
ORDER 
 
Upon consideration of the filings by Derek Harvey, et al., Appellants, and Jared 
DeMarinis, in his official capacity as the State Administrator of Elections, et al., Appellees, 
oral argument conducted in the above-captioned case on February 5, 2024, and the 
subsequently filed “Conditional, Joint Motion to Consolidate, Vacate, and Remand for 
Dismissal,” 
Whereas, on November 8, 2023, in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, 
Appellants filed an amended emergency petition challenging the Maryland State Board 
of Elections’ decision not to approve the placement of an early voting center in the 
Hancock Town Hall in Washington County, setting forth four counts, seeking: (I) 
judicial (injunctive) relief under Md. Code Ann., Elec. Law (2003, 2022 Repl. Vol.) 
(“EL”) § 12-202 (Judicial Challenges); (II) voiding of the State Board’s act under Md. 
Code Ann., Gen. Prov. (2014, 2019 Repl. Vol.) (“GP”) § 3-401 (Enforcement in 
DEREK HARVEY, ET AL. 
 
 
 
 
v. 
 
JARED DEMARINIS, IN HIS 
OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS THE 
STATE ADMINISTRATOR OF 
ELECTIONS, ET AL. 
 
* 
 
* 
 
* 
 
* 
 
* 
 
* 
 
     IN THE 
 
     SUPREME COURT 
 
     OF MARYLAND 
 
     No. 26 
 
     September Term, 2023     
2 
 
General), part of the Open Meetings Act, GP §§ 3-101 to 3-501; (III) declaratory 
judgment; and (IV) a common-law writ of mandamus,1 
Whereas, in Count I of the amended petition, Appellants contended that the 
State Board’s review and lack of approval of the Hancock location violated applicable 
provisions of the Election Law Article and Code of Maryland Regulations,  
Whereas, on November 12, 2023, Appellees filed a motion to dismiss the 
amended petition or in the alternative for summary judgment, seeking judgment with 
respect to all counts, 
Whereas, on November 22, 2023, Appellants filed an opposition to the motion 
to dismiss and/or for summary judgment, and a motion for summary judgment, seeking 
judgment in their favor on each count of the amended petition, 
Whereas, on November 27, 2023, Appellants filed a second amended petition, 
naming the Board of County Commissioners for Washington County (the 
“Commissioners”) as an additional petitioner for Counts II, III, and IV, and on 
November 28, 2023, Appellees filed a motion to strike the second amended petition, 
Whereas, on November 29, 2023, after a hearing conducted on November 14 and 
29, 2023, the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, ruling from the Bench, denied 
Appellees’ motion to strike the second amended petition and granted Appellees’ 
motion for summary judgment on all counts in the second amended petition,  
 
1On November 6, 2023, Appellants had filed in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel 
County a one-count emergency petition seeking injunctive relief under EL § 12-202(a)(1). 
3 
 
Whereas, on December 1, 2023, two appeals were noted from the circuit court’s 
ruling: (1) Appellants noted an appeal of the circuit court’s decision as to Count I to 
this Court under EL § 12-203(a)(3); and (2) Appellants noted an appeal of the circuit 
court’s decision as to Counts II, III, and IV to the Appellate Court of Maryland; and 
on December 18, 2023, the Commissioners noted an appeal to the Appellate Court,  
Whereas, both appeals to the Appellate Court of Maryland were consolidated as 
Derek Harvey, et al v. Jared DeMarinis, et al, No. 1917, Sept. Term, 2023 (Md. App. 
Ct.), 
Whereas, on February 5, 2024, after oral argument in the case, this Court issued an 
order directing the parties to engage in mediation with a judge-mediator to be designated 
by the Court and to notify this Court in writing no later than Tuesday, February 20, 2024, 
as to whether the parties had reached or would be able to reach an agreement resolving the 
appeal,  
Whereas, on February 20, 2024, the parties notified this Court that they had 
appeared before the designated judge-mediator, the Honorable Robert N. McDonald, and 
had reached a mutually-agreeable framework for resolving the appeals pending before this 
Court and the Appellate Court of Maryland, 
Whereas, on February 26, 2024, the parties jointly filed in this case the “Conditional, 
Joint Motion to Consolidate, Vacate, and Remand for Dismissal,” notifying this Court that 
they had reached a settlement agreement, which included the parties jointly filing in this 
Court a petition for writ of certiorari with respect to Derek Harvey, et al v. Jared 
DeMarinis, et al, No. 1917, Sept. Term, 2023 (Md. App. Ct.) and a joint motion 
4 
 
requesting that, in the event that a writ of certiorari were issued, the Court consolidate 
the case with the appeal currently pending in this Court, vacate the judgment of the 
Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, and remand the case to the circuit court with 
instruction to dismiss the underlying complaint (the second amended petition) with 
prejudice, as moot, 
Whereas, on February 26, 2024, pursuant to the settlement agreement, the 
parties jointly filed in this Court in Pet. No. 370, Sept. Term, 2023, a petition for writ 
of certiorari with respect to Derek Harvey, et al v. Jared DeMarinis, et al, No. 1917, 
Sept. Term, 2023 (Md. App. Ct.),  
Whereas, on February 28, 2024, this Court issued a writ of certiorari with 
respect to Derek Harvey, et al v. Jared DeMarinis, et al, Pet. No. 370, Sept. Term, 2023 
(Md.), and the case is now identified as Derek Harvey, et al v. Jared DeMarinis, et al, 
No. 33, Sept. Term, 2023, 
Now, therefore, it is this 28th day of February 2024, 
ORDERED, by the Supreme Court of Maryland, that No. 33 and this case are 
consolidated; and it is further 
ORDERED, that, based on the agreement of the parties, without a determination 
with respect to the merits having been made, the November 29, 2023 grant of summary 
judgment by the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County as to all counts of the second 
amended petition in Case No. C-02-CV-23-002315 is VACATED; and it is further  
ORDERED, that based on the agreement of the parties, the consolidated cases, Nos. 
26 and 33, are remanded to the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County with instruction 
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that the second amended petition in Case No. C-02-CV-23-002315 be dismissed with 
prejudice, as moot; and it is further 
ORDERED, that costs are to be divided equally between the parties. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Matthew J. Fader  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
      Chief Justice