Charles E. Sydnor III facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles E. Sydnor III
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| Member of the Maryland Senate from the 44th district |
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| Assumed office January 8, 2020 |
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| Appointed by | Larry Hogan |
| Preceded by | Shirley Nathan-Pulliam |
| Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 44B district |
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| In office January 14, 2015 – January 8, 2020 Serving with Pat Young
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| Preceded by | Shirley Nathan-Pulliam |
| Succeeded by | Sheila Ruth |
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| Born | March 18, 1974 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Baltimore Polytechnic Institute |
| Alma mater | Johns Hopkins University (BA) University of Maryland Baltimore County (MA) University of Maryland (JD) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Charles E. Sydnor III was born on March 18, 1974. He is an American politician who serves in the Maryland Senate, representing District 44 since 2020. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming a state senator, he was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 44B from 2015 to 2020.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Charles Sydnor was born in Baltimore on March 18, 1974. He grew up in the West Hills area of Baltimore. He went to the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute for high school.
After high school, he attended Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a degree in history in 1996. He then went to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, earning a master's degree in policy science in 2000. Finally, he studied law at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, getting his law degree in 2002.
Career Highlights
Starting His Career
Charles Sydnor worked as an intern for a judge in Baltimore City while he was in college. After finishing law school, he became a licensed attorney in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Since 2001, he has worked as an attorney for Enterprise Community Partners. He also worked for the Attorney General of Maryland from 2010 to 2012. The Attorney General is the main legal advisor to the state government.
From 2007 to 2013, Sydnor was part of advisory groups for the Chesapeake Bay Program and a study for the Red Line transit project in Baltimore.
Serving in the Maryland General Assembly
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In 2013, Charles Sydnor announced he would run for the Maryland House of Delegates. He wanted to take the place of state Delegate Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, who was running for the Maryland Senate. Sydnor won the Democratic primary election in June 2014 and then the general election in November 2014, along with Pat Young.
He officially became a member of the Maryland House of Delegates on January 13, 2015. While in the House, he was part of the Judiciary Committee. He also led subcommittees that focused on civil law and criminal justice.
In December 2019, State Senator Shirley Nathan-Pulliam resigned. Charles Sydnor applied to fill her spot in the Maryland Senate. Governor Larry Hogan chose Sydnor for the position on December 30, 2019. Sydnor was sworn in as a state senator on January 8, 2020. He has been a member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee since then. In 2022, he was elected to serve a full four-year term in the Senate.
Key Political Ideas
Crime and Public Safety
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In 2015, Sydnor suggested creating a special mental health unit within the Baltimore Police Department.
In 2016, he proposed a bill that would require police to get a special court order, called a warrant, before using a stingray phone tracker. This device can find a cellphone's exact location. However, this bill did not become law.
In 2019, after police used family DNA information to solve a famous case, Sydnor introduced a bill to stop police from using similar DNA databases to find criminal suspects through their relatives' DNA. This bill was brought back in 2021, passed, and became law. He also worked on laws to keep the identities of young people charged as adults private.
In 2021, Sydnor supported giving control of the Baltimore Police Department back to the city. He also supported a large bill to change police rules, including ending the "Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights" and setting clear rules for how police can use force during arrests. He introduced a bill that requires police officers on duty to wear body cameras by 2025, which also became law.
Education Matters
In 2020, Sydnor introduced a bill to settle a long-standing lawsuit against Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The bill proposed giving $57.7 million to these colleges each year for ten years. The bill passed, but the Governor did not sign it into law that year. It was brought back in 2021, passed again, and was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan.
In 2021, Sydnor also introduced a bill to add an appointed member to the Baltimore County Board of Education.
Environment and Water
In 2023, Sydnor supported a bill to explore new ways to manage water and wastewater systems in Baltimore and Baltimore County. This bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore.
Community Issues
In October 2021, Sydnor attended a protest against a plan to redraw voting districts in Baltimore County. He argued that the new districts did not fairly represent the county's population and grouped too many Black voters into one district, which is a type of Gerrymandering. He later led a lawsuit against this plan, which resulted in a new map that created a second district where minority voters had a better chance to elect their chosen representatives. In 2022, Sydnor introduced a bill that would allow the Maryland Attorney General to step in when local governments break federal voting laws.
Transportation
Charles Sydnor supports the Red Line project in Baltimore, which is a planned public transportation route.
Personal Life
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Charles Sydnor is married and has three daughters. He lives in Catonsville, Maryland.
Images for kids
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Charles E. Sydnor III
