Bill seeks to rename building for Cummings
The Baltimore City Council is considering re-naming Courthouse East in honor of U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, who died last month.
A bill proposing to name the building after Cummings was introduced last Monday at the council’s meeting.
“The Elijah E. Cummings Courthouse will stand in perpetuity as a monument to the congressman’s service to the common man, the rule of law in our society and his commitment to economic justice for all,” the legislation says.
Courthouse East is on the east side of North Calvert Street, across from a separate judiciary building named for Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. in 1985. Both buildings house the Circuit Court for Baltimore, which handles criminal cases and major civil cases, including divorce and matters of child custody and child support.
Mitchell led the NAACP’s Washington office and was an adviser to U.S. President Lyndon Johnson during the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
The legislation notes Mitchell was also the brother of U.S. Rep. Parren Mitchell, Maryland’s first black representative in Congress, who represented the state’s 7th district.
“As Congressman Cummings would later hold this same seat for 23 years until his transition, it is fitting to rename the Courthouse East building in his honor,” the legislation says.
Democratic Council President Brandon Scott introduced the bill at the request of Democratic Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young. The day after Cummings died, Young pledged to name the courthouse in his honor as soon as possible.
Cummings, 68, died on Oct. 17 after a series of longstanding health problems. He had represented Maryland’s 7th District since 1996 and was a staunch defender of Baltimore, most recently when it was criticized this summer by President Trump as “rodent-infested.”
The legislation to rename the courthouse was referred to the council’s Judiciary Committee, which will schedule a hearing and vote on the bill, and then return it to the full council. The hearing and vote have not yet been scheduled, said Eric Costello, the judiciary chairman, but he expects the measure to sail through easily.
“We’ll all vote for it,” Costello said. “This is about as sure a vote as there is.”