Second Amendment

Maryland Court Rules Against Unconstitutional Stop-and-Frisk in Victory for State's Gun Owners

In a unanimous opinion, the court ruled that it is unconstitutional for officers to stop and frisk someone based solely on suspicion that the person is carrying a gun.

Tosin Akintola | 6.12.2026 12:39 PM

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(Illustration: Maryland Appellate Court/mdcourts.gov/Martin Falbisoner/Wikimedia Commons/Midjourney)

In 2023, Steven Hicks was stopped by Detective Mitchell Ramsey, an officer in the Baltimore Police Department's Group Violence Unit. After seeing a handgun "physically printing" through Hicks' shirt, Ramsey conducted a stop-and-frisk search, despite Hicks repeatedly telling officers before and during the search that he had a license to carry.

After police found cocaine on his person, Hicks was indicted on multiple drug and firearm offenses. He filed a motion to suppress the evidence, arguing that the arresting officers lacked "probable cause or reasonable suspicion" to stop and frisk him since he was licensed to carry a firearm. The Circuit Court for Baltimore City denied Hicks' motion, after which he pleaded guilty to the charges and received a five-year prison sentence without the possibility of parole.

Last week, the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled in Hicks' favor. In an opinion, the court held that Baltimore police officers violated Hicks' Fourth Amendment rights by relying solely on their suspicion that he had a firearm. For........

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