Maryland Carey Law places Eric Swalwell on leave amid allegations

Maryland Carey Law has placed former Rep. Eric Swalwell on leave from its Board of Visitors, a public step that pushes the fallout from the misconduct allegations into one of Baltimore’s most visible professional-school networks.

Swalwell, a 2006 graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, had served on the board since 2023. The move is significant because the Board of Visitors is not just ceremonial. At Maryland Carey Law, it is a volunteer advisory and philanthropic body that supports the dean on academic programs, senior administrative hires and issues affecting state and local policy. It also plays a role in advancement, alumni relations, career development and admissions, making the board an important face of the school to donors, graduates and civic leaders.

The board’s roster for the 2025-2026 academic year includes prominent Maryland figures such as U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and Chief Justice Matthew J. Fader, underscoring how closely the school links its outside advisers to public leadership in Baltimore and across the state. That makes Swalwell’s leave more than an internal personnel matter. It touches the law school’s reputation at a time when the University of Maryland, Baltimore has said its boards of visitors at six professional schools are indispensable advisers and partners, contributing time, knowledge and funds.

The action comes as the allegations around Swalwell have intensified. He resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives on April 13, 2026, and ended his campaign for governor of California as the accusations escalated. Reports said the allegations came from multiple women, including one woman who accused him of rape, while New York prosecutors opened a criminal investigation tied to an allegation involving a former staffer. Swalwell has denied the allegations.

For Maryland Carey Law, the decision signals how quickly a high-profile board relationship can become a reputational risk for a school that depends on trust, alumni loyalty and public credibility. In Baltimore, where legal and civic institutions are tightly connected, the board’s response will be watched as a test of whether its public ethics align with the standards the school expects from its own leadership.