Bill To Rename Courthouse For Rep. Elijah Cummings Passes: Report

BALTIMORE, MD — The city of Baltimore will pay tribute to the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings by renaming its courthouse after the longtime congressman. Cummings died Oct. 17.

At its meeting Monday night, the Baltimore City Council reportedly voted to rename Courthouse East — at 111 North Calvert Street — the "Elijah E. Cummings Courthouse."

The aim of the renaming the courthouse is to pay tribute to the years of service that Congressman Cummings devoted to Baltimore City.

He made a "life-long commitment to the law and to protecting the civil rights of his fellow citizens," according to the ordinance.

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This is the text of the ordinance, which is now before Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young to sign:

"The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings demonstrated a life-long commitment to the law and to protecting the civil rights of his fellow citizens. Prior to his service in elective office, he fought for justice as an attorney practicing in the historic Courthouse East building. He would later serve the citizens of Baltimore in the Maryland House of Delegates and United States House of Representatives until his passing on October 17, 2019.

"The Courthouse East building is situated directly across from the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse. That building was renamed in 1985, in honor of the late Clarence M. Mitchell Jr., who served as head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)’s Washington office and was one of President Lyndon Johnson’s chief advisers during the Civil Rights Movement. Mitchell was the brother of the late Honorable Parren J. Mitchell, the first African-American to win election to and serve as Representative of the 7th District seat in Congress. 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 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."

Young is expected to pass the bill, according to WJZ, which reported he proposed it the day after the congressman died.

The ordinance will take effect on the 30th day after the date it is enacted.