Baltimore judge orders Mayor Brandon Scott's administration to restore the Inspector General's access to city records after officials cut it off
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What happened
Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming sued Mayor Brandon Scott's administration after it restricted her office's access to city computer systems and records needed to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse, citing what it called an official Attorney General opinion that an internal Attorney General's Office email described only as an advice letter, not a formal opinion. A separate OIG report found a senior city employee under OIG investigation told a city IT official to 'cut the access' to their own records in November 2025. On September 17, 2026, Circuit Court Judge Pamela White ruled that the Maryland Public Information Act does not limit the IG's subpoena authority and, on September 21, 2026, ordered the administration to restore the OIG's database access and respond to her outstanding subpoenas, finding a 'pattern by the city to delay, diffuse and deny' OIG investigations. Mayor Scott has said he will continue fighting the ruling and has accused Cumming of abusing her access 'for personal motives.'
Sources (3)
Response
Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.
What happened next (2)
On September 30, 2026 the Appellate Court of Maryland denied the City's emergency request for a protective order that would have restricted the Inspector General's access to City files; the City's underlying appeal of the September 21 order continues. Source ↗
On September 25, 2026 the Appellate Court of Maryland denied the City of Baltimore's renewed emergency motion to pause the September 21 order restoring the Inspector General's records access, saying the City had not shown irreparable harm without a stay. Source ↗