Last revised: August, 2009
Opinions of the Attorney General of Maryland
The Opinions of the Attorney General of Maryland (Opinions) publishes the written responses which the Attorney General prepared to specific legal questions raised by state government officials. For example, a state legislator may ask for an opinion on the constitutionality of a bill before the legislature; the commissioner of a state agency may question the legal ramifications arising out of changes in his agency's procedures or in the Annotated Code of Maryland.
The Opinions may construe statutes, interpret case law, or give legal counsel. Unlike the decisions resulting from court cases, the opinions are strictly advisory in nature and as such fall somewhere between categories of primary and secondary legal authority. They do, however, often carry considerable weight when cited in a court of law.
Each volume also includes the annual report of the Attorney General.
Opinions since 1993 are available at Maryland Office of the Attorney General website.
Email the subject area specialist or call (301) 405-9213 for more information.
Table of Contents
Use the Opinions to Find:
- The full text or synopsis of the Attorney General's opinion on a specific subject.
- The annual report of the Attorney General.
- State, county, and local laws cited in the opinions.
- Citations to pertinent court decisions referred to in the opinions.
Arrangement
Opinions are published in two separate sections: first, those deemed of broad enough interest to warrant publication in full; next the synopses of less significant opinions. In both, opinions are arranged alphabetically by broad subjects, such as Anti-trust, Banking Institutions, Constitutional Law, etc.. Each full opinion is introduced by a keyword summary, the name and title of the person requesting the opinion, and the date of the opinion. Within each subject, the synopses are arranged by opinion number. The date of the opinion and the name of the requester are also given.Indexes
The Maryland Digest, 2nd provides a detailed subject index to the Opinions. In addition there are indexes in each annual volume of the Opinions and separate cumulative subject indexes for volumes 1-30, 1916-1945; 31-35, 1946-1966; 52-63, 1967-1978; and 64-71, 1979-1986. The following indexes are found in both the annual volumes and the cumulative indexes unless otherwise noted:
- Acts of the General Assembly cited.
- Cumulative Index.
- Attorney General Opinions cited.
- Maryland Constitution cited.
- Subjects of the Opinions.
- U.S. Constitution cited.
- Code of Public General Laws.
- Code of Maryland Regulations (Since 1989).
Citations
The Opinions of the Attorney General are abbreviated Op. Atty. Gen.
Updates
Opinions since 1993 are available at Maryland Office of the Attorney General website.
