Media Advisory:
Baltimore City District Court Veterans Treatment Court celebrates its ninth anniversary and announces the Central Maryland Regional Veterans Treatment Court

The District Court in Baltimore City will celebrate Veterans Day and the ninth anniversary of its Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) with a luncheon for veterans, a graduation ceremony, and the announcement of the new Central Maryland Regional Veterans Treatment Court. The regional VTC will serve eligible veterans in Baltimore City and four surrounding counties, including Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County, and Howard County. The Central Maryland Veterans Treatment Court is a court-supervised, comprehensive, and voluntary treatment-based program for justice-involved veterans charged with misdemeanors in the District Court of Maryland. 
 

Local veterans will be recognized by the District Court in Baltimore City for their military service and for their participation in the local VTC program on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at a celebration presided over by District Court Senior Judge Halee F. Weinstein, who founded the court program in 2015. The veterans will be joined by Maryland Governor Wes Moore, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Tanya Bradsher, Supreme Court of Maryland Chief Justice Matthew J. Fader, District Court of Maryland Chief Judge John P. Morrissey, and many other judges, court staff, family, friends, and justice and community partners, including the United Way of Central Maryland. 
 

The VTC program’s mission is to serve the community and increase public safety by integrating a coordinated treatment response for veterans with substance use and/or mental health disorders. The program connects veterans to the court system, case management, resources and services, and a veteran mentor who supports them as they progress through the program.

Veterans Day is Monday, November 11, 2024, and an official court holiday when courts in Maryland are closed.

NOTE: Please contact the Maryland Judiciary, Government Relations and Public Affairs office, by email at [email protected] or 410-260-1488, if you plan to attend or have questions. The use of photography and/or video cameras inside the courtroom will be limited. Photographers/videographers will be allowed to take pictures of the veterans in front of the military flags inside the courtroom. However, pictures are not permitted while the judge is presiding over the VTC docket on the bench. Photography/videography requests should be approved in advance. Photographers must ask participants for their consent prior to taking pictures and/or video.

WATCH THE JUDICIARY VIDEOS: To learn more about VTC and its mission, watch Baltimore City District Court Veterans Treatment Court videos here and here.