Criminal Procedure - Expungement - No Finding and Case Terminated Without Finding
Summary
SB 320 expands Maryland’s expungement law to allow a person to petition to expunge certain eligible offenses when the underlying case was not resolved by an unequivocal conviction, but instead was marked by the court as “no finding” or as “terminated without finding.” The bill adds this new category to Criminal Procedure § 10-110 and clarifies that a disposition in such a case may be expunged even if it was included among other charges in the same case, so long as the case outcome meets the bill’s criteria.
The bill also makes a conforming change to the existing rule that can bar expungement of other convictions in the same unit when one conviction is ineligible. Under SB 320, that rule is made subject to the new subsection covering no-finding and terminated-without-finding cases. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026.
Impact
SB 320 amends Maryland Criminal Procedure Article § 10-110, which governs expungement of police, court, and other state records. It broadens eligibility for expungement by adding a new category for dispositions tied to cases disposed of with a no-finding designation or terminated without finding, potentially affecting people whose charges were resolved without a conviction but who previously may not have had a clear statutory path to expungement. The bill does not change the list of underlying offenses eligible for expungement, but it changes how case disposition is treated for expungement purposes.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported. It passed the Senate 41-0 and the House 125-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. No committee transcript was provided, but the favorable committee report and unanimous floor votes suggest the measure was viewed as a targeted, noncontroversial expungement expansion.
Contention
No major opposition is reflected in the available record. The main policy issue is the scope of expungement relief for cases that ended without a finding of guilt, especially when those charges were part of a larger case with other counts. Supporters likely view the bill as a fairness and second-chance measure for people not convicted, while any potential concern would center on whether expanding expungement in mixed-charge cases could limit public access to records. The voting record, however, shows no recorded dissent.