He then graduates college with a major in political science and after pursuing education further gets his juris doctorate And passing the state's bar exam on his first attempt. This showed Cummings outstanding academic resume and work ethic even before Washington D.C.

Cummings stood between a raging crowd and a line of police officers. Cummings raised a bullhorn and urged protestors to go home. Cummings persisted to tell protestors to go home while getting cursed at. These riots beginning after the death of an unarmed black man that was supposedly abused and killed while in custody of Baltimore police. While others raged and acted out, Cumming was calm, urging everyone to go home before the curfew. This event brought Cummings national attention and showed his ability of being a leader and further cemented his leadership role among the african american community.​​​​​​​

Elijah Cummings was a key figure in the impeachment inquiry before his death. He had recently issued a subpoena (a writ ordering a person to attend a court) for documents relating to a phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian President in which Trump allegedly pressured him to look into a political rival of Trump. Trump denied all accusations, and claimed there was no pressuring in the call. This is just one of his many important roles in the impeachment inquiry.