SALT Responds to Threat to Withhold Funds from UM Law School Environmental Clinic

In a letter, dated March 31, 2010, SALT opposed pending bills before the Maryland House and Senate that condition the release of funds to the University of Maryland School of Law’s Environmental Law Clinic on disclosure of client and other confidential information. 

Initially the House introduced legislation, HB 150, that threatened to withhold funding from all of the Law School’s clinics pending receipt of a long list of information.  Then in a compromise, the House restricted the scope of its budget amendment as the Senate did to the Environmental Clinic. 

Read SALT’s letter.

For background information about the clinic controversy, see the following news reports and editorials:

March 25, 2010, The Baltimore Sun, Second Opinion

March 26, 2010, Washington Post, Maryland News

In addition to the letter sent to the University of Maryland Chancellor and Chair of the Board of Regents, SALT helped collect names on a letter of protest that was emailed on March 31st to members of the Maryland House and Senate.