State Roundup: Republicans, locals praise Trump move to stop OC wind; federal judge dismisses Justice Dept suit against Maryland judges; student assessments see slight improvement in reading, math

REPUBLICANS, LOCALS PRAISE TRUMP MOVE TO STOP OC WIND PROJECT: Though Maryland Democrats lament the potential loss of a long-planned offshore wind farm on the coast of Ocean City, Republicans and local representatives herald President Donald Trump’s push to stop the project as a victory. “President Trump’s decision to move toward revoking US Wind’s federal permit is a very positive development for Ocean City,” Mayor Rick Meehan, a Republican, said in a statement Tuesday. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.

FEDERAL JUDGE DISMISSES JUSTICE DEPT LAWSUIT AGAINST MARYLAND JUDGES: A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed an unprecedented lawsuit filed by the Justice Department against all 15 federal district judges in Maryland, declining to lift a two-day pause on deportations in the state in cases where migrants have sought hearings to contest their removal proceedings. Salvatore Rizzo/The Washington Post.

• In a scathing 39-page ruling, the judge, Thomas T. Cullen, called the suit “novel and potentially calamitous,” saying that the administration had simpler — and clearly more legal — ways to contest the standing order aside from bringing a suit against all 15 federal judges who sit in Maryland. Alan Feuer/The New York Times.
• When a party disagrees with a court action, there is “a tried-and-true recourse,” wrote Cullen of the Western District of Virginia — file an appeal. But the Trump administration, when faced with a standing immigration order it didn’t like, instead sued all 15 federal district court judges in Maryland, the court clerk and the court itself. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.

STATE STUDENT ASSESSMENTS SHOW SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT IN READING, MATH: The latest Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program test results indicate that nearly half of Maryland’s elementary and middle school students cannot read proficiently, and more than half are not proficient in basic math. Still, state educators and district leaders said they are pleased with the results because they show steady improvement from year to year, even as significant disparities persist between races, student groups and school districts. Racquel Bazos and Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Sun.

• The results show that about 51 percent of students were proficient in English language arts, which is up 3 percentage points compared to last year and surpasses levels from before the pandemic forced schools to switch to virtual learning. In math, 26 percent of students were proficient, up 2 percentage points from last year. Nicole Asbury/The Washington Post.
• The results mark the third straight year of language arts increases, gains that are being attributed in part to the “science of reading” curriculum that State Superintendent Carey Wright brought with her from Mississippi, where test scores rose significantly while she was superintendent there. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
• The annual assessment tests students in grades 3-8, as well as some high schoolers, in English, math and science. Their takeaways included girls outsmarting the boys in English, science of reading being credited for the rise in English scores and fourth graders being the only grade that didn’t improve in English. Kristen Griffith and Allan James Vestal/The Baltimore Banner.

MOORE USES TRUMP FIGHT TO FUND-RAISE, AS PERIL TO STATE QUESTIONED: Less than three hours after President Donald Trump’s social media missive against Gov. Wes Moore on Sunday, a campaign fundraising email was sent to the Maryland Democrat’s supporters. The subject line: “President Bone Spurs.” After months of holding back when other prominent Democrats fought fire with fire against Trump, Moore’s approach has shifted considerably in recent weeks — in ways that have underscored both the political opportunities for Moore and the potential perils for his state. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.

MOORE-TRUMP WAR OF WORDS CONTINUES: President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy federal troops to the Baltimore because of crime issues, and he called the city a “hellhole” during a cabinet meeting Tuesday. But Gov. Wes Moore is touting Baltimore’s sharp decline in violent crime — and taking some credit for it. Until now, most attention for Baltimore’s lower crime rate has focused on Mayor Brandon Scott and City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates. Carson Swick/The Baltimore Sun.

• While speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Monday, President Donald Trump claimed that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) told him last year that he had been “the greatest president” of Moore’s lifetime. Moore debunked the claim and on X, Moore shared a video of Trump’s Oval Office comments and replied to that social media post, writing: “Keep telling yourself that, Mr. President.” Mariana Alfar/The Washington Post.

COMMENTARY: JUKING THE STATS CAN HAPPEN HERE: Some would argue that the state and Baltimore’s statistics are in Gov. Wes Moore’s favor… or are they? In the early to mid-2000s, a TV show “The Wire” was centered around crime in Baltimore and law enforcement’s efforts to combat it. The show gave us the term “juking the stats” in reference to the crime statistics being manipulated to make them look better than they actually were. There is no evidence that the leadership of Maryland and Baltimore are “juking the stats,” but if it can happen in D.C., the nation’s capital, it can most certainly happen in Baltimore. Marc King/Maryland Reporter.

BA CO RESIDENTS WEIGH IN ON COUNCIL REDISTRICTING MAPS: As the Baltimore County Council enters the homestretch in adopting a new councilmanic redistricting map, residents are doubling down on their opinions as to what the nine new districts should look like. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.

BA CO COUNCIL DEBATES HAVING IG PROBE SCHOOL SYSTEM: Baltimore County’s inspector general is not allowed to look into waste, fraud and abuse in the school system. The Baltimore County Council Tuesday night debated whether to ask the Maryland General Assembly to let the IG investigate the schools. John Lee/WYPR-FM.

DEMOCRAT FIRST TO FILE IN HARFORD COUNCIL RACE: Democrat Jessica Ryley Hammond, 48, of Bel Air, is the first person to file for candidacy to represent District C on the Harford County Council. “I see things that need to get done,” she said. “I’m not just here for photo ops. I’m here to roll up my sleeves and get dirty.” Shaela Foster/The Aegis.