Vaughn v. State

The Maryland Court of Appeals, in Skok v. State, 361 Md. 52, 760 A.2d 647 (2000), made a significant change in the Maryland common law in regards to the circumstances under which a convict could overturn his or her conviction by filing a writ of error coram nobis. Id. at 70, 77, 760 A.2d 647. Relying on the reasoning set forth in United States v. Morgan, 346 U.S. 502, 74 S.Ct. 247, 98 L.Ed. 248 (1954) (announcing law to be applied in federal courts), the Skok Court held that a change in the common law governing coram nobis relief was justified due to “contemporary conditions and public…