Author

Chip Brownlee

Chip Brownlee is a former political reporter, online content manager and webmaster at the Alabama Political Reporter. He is now a reporter at The Trace, a non-profit newsroom covering guns in America.

News / Courts / State

Alabama executes Muslim inmate after Supreme Court overturns stay

Alabama performed its first execution of 2019 following a legal back and forth over whether the inmate could be put to death without a chaplain of his faith in the chamber. The state executed Dominque Ray, a Muslim inmate who had appealed to federal courts after the state refused to allow an imam to be … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 8, 2019

Jones bill would require Department of Defense to justify “national security tariffs”

A bill proposed by Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, and a group of bipartisan senators would require the Department of Defense, rather than the Commerce Department, to justify national security tariffs. Congress would also be able to kill the tariffs by passing a motion of disapproval. Jones is sponsoring the bill with Ohio Republican Sen. Rob … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 7, 2019

Jones criticizes CFPB proposal to roll back payday lending regulation

Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, criticized the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposal to remove a key regulation on the payday lending industry introduced in the final year of President Barack Obama’s term. The CFPB said Wednesday that it is rolling back plans to put into place a rule intended to protect the most vulnerable payday loan … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 7, 2019

Marshall: Hoover officer justified in Galleria shooting

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Tuesday that the officer involved in the shooting death of Emantic “E.J.” Bradford Jr. was justified. The attorney general released a report on the officer-involved shooting death by the Hoover Police Department. Marshall’s office said it informed the Hoover Police Department and the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation that the … Continued

Brandon Moseley, Chip Brownlee

February 5, 2019

Facade of US Supreme court in Washington DC on sunny day

21 states back Alabama in asking Supreme Court to review abortion case

More than 20 states are joining Alabama in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case challenging an Alabama law that bans dilation and evacuation abortions. Widely known by the term “dismemberment abortion,” the medical procedure is used commonly in abortions after 15 weeks, though that’s only 7 percent of all Abortions in … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 5, 2019

State needs to invest at least $600 million annually in infrastructure, study finds

A report from the University of Alabama’s Alabama Transportation Institute and Alabama Transportation Policy Research Center found that the state needs to invest between $600 million and $800 million annually for the next 20 years to meet infrastructure needs. The report — “Addressing Alabama’s Transporation Infrastructure: Roads and Bridges” — found that Alabama needs to … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 1, 2019

Appeals court to reconsider decision in Birmingham minimum wage lawsuit

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said on Wednesday that it will rehear arguments on a motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging an Alabama law blocking cities — namely Birmingham — from raising its minimum wage. The decision to rehear the dismissal motion comes after a three-judge panel ruled that the lawsuit could move … Continued

Chip Brownlee

January 31, 2019

Shelby calls for bipartisanship, “strategic” barriers during border security negotiations

During the first conference committee meeting in Congress to work out a deal on border security funding, Republican Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby called for bipartisanship and strategic border barriers. Shelby, who chairs the Senate appropriations committee and largely steered the budget bills passed to reopen the government, said physical barriers are needed not “from coast … Continued

Chip Brownlee

January 31, 2019

Jones partners with GOP senator to stop tax refund theft

Tax filing season has officially begun, and that means tax returns and tax refunds — not all of which are real. Tax filing season creates an opportunity for con artists to file fraudulent tax returns in an effort to steal real refunds that are owed to other taxpayers. Theft of tax refunds cost victims a … Continued

Chip Brownlee

January 30, 2019

State Auditor defends controversial Facebook post targeting female senator’s attire

On Monday, Republican State Auditor Jim Zeigler, who is considering a run for U.S. Senate in 2020, defended his decision to post a Facebook status that targeted a newly elected female senator’s attire after facing backlash for the controversial post. The status, which Zeigler posted to his public state auditor campaign page over the weekend, includes … Continued

Chip Brownlee

January 29, 2019