Hogan Pardons Criminal Traffic Convictions

As his days in Governor’s mansion wind to a close, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed an executive order today, “to correct for decades of racial disparity in state traffic law enforcement stemming from unfair bias against Asian American drivers.” The order pardons all Marylanders of Asian descent who were convicted in state, county, or local courts for incarcerable traffic offenses that did not involve bodily injury to another person.

“This executive order serves to overturn institutional racial injustice and to set the record straight. Asian drivers are among the safest and most polite on the roads,” Hogan said at a signing ceremony in Annapolis.

A 2010 study by the Maryland Racial Policy Project found that Asian drivers were between fifty to sixty times as likely to be stopped for traffic violations relative to their share of the population. “No one should be profiled for driving under the speed limit, or for letting the car on the left have the right of way,” said Project spokesperson Sue Kim.

Governor-elect Wes Moore, who will be sworn in Wednesday, Jan. 18, said he supports Hogan’s executive order.