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Anjali Shastry

Anjali Shastry covers Capitol Hill politics for The Washington Times. Originally from Cupertino, California, Shastry graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara, with a bachelor's degree in English and anthropology, and from University of Maryland, College Park, with a master's degree in journalism. She has previously written for American Journalism Review, Voice of America and the University of Maryland's Capital New Service wire. She can be reached at ashastry@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Anjali Shastry

Maryland lawmakers roll out redistricting reform

ANNAPOLIS -- Democratic lawmakers on Thursday suggested their own versions of Gov. Larry Hogan's redistricting reform bill, citing other states with Republican-led governments and drawing criticism from GOP legislators for delaying action.

March 3, 2016

Maryland lawmakers consider bill to stop all child marriages in state

Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary says it's time that all child marriages in Maryland stop.

March 3, 2016

Maryland state senator withdraws right to die bill, facing defeat in key committee

The right to die movement in Maryland hit a snag Thursday, when Sen. Ronald Young withdrew his assisted suicide bill for fear it would not pass a key committee.

March 3, 2016

Maryland lawmakers tackling criminal justice ‘reinvestment’

ANNAPOLIS -- A sweeping, multipart criminal justice reform bill has lawmakers aiming to send drug offenders to treatment programs and scale back mandatory minimum sentences in an effort to reduce incarceration rates without sacrificing public safety.

March 2, 2016

In Maryland, children join mothers to lobby for paid sick leave

ANNAPOLIS --Though only 6 years old, Vivienne Martin Mulkey is prepared to convince lawmakers that it is time for Maryland to become the seventh state that offers paid sick leave.

March 1, 2016

Maryland lawmakers eye change to police rights to combat declining trust

ANNAPOLIS -- State lawmakers debated whether changing police officers' rights would foster trust between law enforcement and local communities Tuesday, just days before the state's highest court is set to hear an appeal from one of six Baltimore officers charged in the police-custody death of Freddie Gray in April.

March 1, 2016

Maryland Republicans seek constitutional convention over federal debt

ANNAPOLIS -- Annapolis was instrumental in calling the original constitutional convention in 1787, but Maryland lawmakers are split on whether to play a role in calling for a do-over.

February 29, 2016

Maryland lawmakers take aim at predatory settlement purchasers

Having already tried to rein in pay day lenders, the Maryland General Assembly now is taking aim at predatory settlement purchasers, saying poor people are being bamboozled into selling their legal settlements for pennies on the dollar.

February 28, 2016

Roger Taney statue at Maryland State House emerges as latest Confederate cleansing target

A bronze statue of Roger Brooke Taney, the Supreme Court chief justice who wrote the Dred Scott decision, has sat outside the Maryland State House since 1872, its eyes gazing down in judgment at visitors.

February 24, 2016

Larry Hogan, Maryland governor, backs plan to livestream video from state legislature

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday he supports a bipartisan plan to livestream video from the floor of the House of Delegates and state Senate, his first endorsement of any legislation this session.

February 24, 2016

Maryland police bill of rights changes criticized

State lawmakers are moving to improve protections for residents who believe they have been mistreated by the police, but critics said Tuesday the changes could end up shielding officers from scrutiny in misconduct cases.

February 23, 2016

Larry Hogan, Maryland governor, gets 63 percent approval: poll

More than a year into his first term, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan maintains high popularity in staunchly Democratic Maryland, despite recent friction with Democratic members of the state legislature.

February 23, 2016

Virginia lawmakers move to let all judges to carry concealed firearms

Virginia inched closer Monday to allowing all state judges, including those on the Supreme Court, to carry concealed handguns with no permit or training, saying they need to be able to protect themselves from vengeful litigants.

February 22, 2016

Assisted suicide advocates plead case for legalization in Maryland

Kelly Lange suffers from stage 4 breast cancer and says she doesn't want to die. But when the time comes, she wants it to be on her own terms.

February 21, 2016

Brian Frosh, Maryland attorney general, appeals challenge to state ban on assault weapons

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh filed a petition Friday asking the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to review a decision this month challenging the constitutionality of the state's assault weapons ban.

February 19, 2016

Privacy issues derail push in Maryland for universal registration of voters

Lawmakers said Thursday they aren't quite sure how to conduct universal voter registration, dealing a blow to Democrats' hopes of expanding voter rolls in Maryland.

February 18, 2016

Black Caucus blasts Larry Hogan agenda for racial bias

The rift between Democratic legislators and Gov. Larry Hogan grew wider Thursday, as black lawmakers criticized him for not funding minority priorities, and Mr. Hogan compared the legislature to students on spring break "throwing beer bottles off the balcony."

February 18, 2016