Baltimore mayor looks to rename downtown courthouse after Cummings

Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young (D) said Friday that he wants to rename a downtown courthouse building after the late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.).

Young will reportedly file legislation “as quickly as possible” with the Baltimore City Council to rename the Courthouse East building after the congressman, who represented Maryland’s 7th congressional district that includes roughly half of the city, The Baltimore Sun reported.

If it passes, the city-run building would become the Elijah E. Cummings Courthouse.

“It is most fitting that this building, in which Congressman Cummings fought for justice for his fellow citizens early in his career as an attorney, be named in his honor,” Young told the Sun in a statement. “It will stand in perpetuity as a monument to Cummings’ service to the common man, the rule of law in our society, and his commitment to economic justice for all.” {mosads}

Young said the decision came about after a meeting with local officials and other community members that focused on how to honor the longtime lawmaker, who he praised as one of Baltimore’s “greatest voices and staunchest advocates.”

Young also said he will proclaim Jan. 18, the congressman’s birthday, as Elijah Cummings Day in Baltimore, the Sun reported.

Cummings, the former chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, died early Thursday at the age of 68, following years of health issues.

He was respected and praised by bipartisan lawmakers for his work on civil rights, his legislative accomplishments and his ability to work with lawmakers across the aisle.

Cummings will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall next Thursday.