O'Malley v. Liner [1]

Blogger Jay Liner of the Baltimore Organ [2] sought a press pass to cover the Maryland state legislature, but was denied. He then filed a lawsuit, claiming that the denial violated his First Amendment rights.

Liner, a former Baltimore County Attorney who writes on various topics including politics, sought a press pass from Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's press office so that he could interview legislators throughout the 2010 legislative session.  The press credentials allow their holder to bypass security and to enter the floors of both legislative houses.

According to an aide to State Senator James Brochin, who assisted Liner in applying for credentials via the state's interim process currently in effect, the Governor's press office denied the application on several grounds, including that the Baltimore Organ has "no original content regarding state government."

Liner then filed a lawsuit [3] against Governor O'Malley on February 22, 2010, arguing that the press office's denial of his credentials, along with the state's failure establish an orderly and public procedure for obtaining credentials, violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit seeks a writ of mandamus requiring the Governor's office to issue the press pass.