WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) Tuesday questioned U.S. General Services Administration Public Buildings Service Commissioner Elliot Doomes about the condition of the Edward A. Garmatz United States District Courthouse in Baltimore during an EPW hearing.

Team Maryland secured $1.5 million in an FY ’24 appropriations measure to conduct a feasibility study for the construction of a new federal courthouse in Baltimore.

“Senator Van Hollen and I had an opportunity to tour the facilities a few months back, and it is shocking to see some of the challenges they have. For example, the jurors in a trial have to walk past the defendants when they deliberate, which is not something you want to see in our judicial system,” said Senator Cardin. “I would ask that you personally at some time have a chance to meet with our judicial leadership in Baltimore and see firsthand the challenges we have in that courthouse,” he continued.

In response, Commissioner Doomes said: “Senator Cardin, I will commit to meeting with the chief judge, the outgoing and incoming chief judge, to hear about what their issues are…I will be engaged on this topic.”

The full exchange can be found here.

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