Maryland bill to limit use of artists' lyrics in legal cases heads to governor's desk

Maryland will soon be the first state on the East Coast to limit how rap and song lyrics or creative expression can be used in court proceedings. 

Lawmakers in the Maryland General Assembly recently passed the Protecting Artists' Creative Expression Act, also known as the PACE Act. 

"The reality is, if that song isn't having anything to do with the trial, then it shouldn't be used in court," said Marlon Amprey, Maryland State Delegate of the 40th district (D).  

Lawmakers said that the bill is not a ban and instead imposes consistent standards and protections across all art forms, preventing rap music from being unfairly targeted by prosecutors. 

"We find that it's often being used against young black men, young Latino men, in ways in which they're trying to say they're more violent because of the kind of music they create," Amprey said. 

Gov. Wes Moore is expected to sign the bill on May 12. The bill is expected to take effect on October 1, 2026.     

Years in the making

For more than four years, State Del. Amprey spearheaded the effort to pass the Protecting Artists' Creative Expression (PACE) Act in Maryland.

"It literally creates those rules for that if creative expression, often song lyrics, but it could be other things, it could be a book, it could be a movie, it could be other forms of creative expression, if they're introduced in court, they must pass a four-pronged test before they can be introduced as evidence," Amprey said.

Amprey explained that the goal is to avoid criminal convictions of Maryland artists by placing guidelines for judges to submit those lyrics as evidence.

"The four-pronged test is there to make sure that whenever this creative expression is being introduced, that it's fair, it's reasonable," Amprey said.

The push for this legislation was also led by the organization Free Our Art, led by Baltimore native and Chairman Kevin Liles. 

"We did this the right way with a bipartisan coalition of allies and backing by diverse arts groups, and we're particularly grateful to have earned the support of Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates," Liles said. "I'm looking forward to standing side-by-side with Governor Wes Moore as we make Maryland the safest place in America for creativity and freedom of expression."

Liles added, "As a kid growing up in Baltimore, music found me, and Hip Hop saved my life. I will always be forever grateful to the city and state that raised me. When this bill is signed, we're turning our attention to New York State next, and we hope to have two bills passed this year."

Rap lyrics used in trials 

Rap lyrics on trial have long garnered national attention, including the Georgia RICO case of Atlanta rap artist Young Thug. 

This is a growing area of case law, with convictions vacated in Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, and New York in the past three years for wrongful admission and use of lyrics in trials. 

"We haven't actually changed the rules, we've just made sure the rule the court put in place is going to be the submitted rule that we want to have forever in Maryland for the time being," Amprey said.