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 / State

Court of Criminal Appeals denies requests for rehearing on Hubbard appeal

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has denied requests from former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard and the Attorney General’s Office for a rehearing on his appeal. Hubbard asked the court to reconsider its ruling on his 12 felony ethics convictions from July 2016. The court upheld 11 of the convictions last month, and struck … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 28, 2018

Jones bill to declassify unsolved Civil Rights era cases passes committee

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones is trying to declassify a number of documents related to unsolved criminal civil rights cases that are nearly 50 years old. His bipartisan bill that would do just that passed through the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs Wednesday. The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act, which he … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 27, 2018

Rep. Randy Davis claims prosecutor misconduct, seeks dismissal of charges

State Rep. Randy Davis, a Republican from Daphne, and former state Republican Party Chairman Marty Connors are seeking to have their indictments dismissed by the federal courts on claims that prosecutors engaged in misconduct during the grand jury hearings. Davis and Connors were indicted on federal bribery charges in July. In a filing Tuesday, Davis’ … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 26, 2018

Jones introduces legislation to combat deadly fentanyl trade

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones is introducing a new law intended to combat the trade of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl by targeting foreign countries that don’t stop the export of the drug into the United States. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, is introducing the legislation with Jones. The bipartisan Blocking Deadly Fentanyl Imports … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 24, 2018

ACLU sues John Merrill for blocking followers on Twitter

Secretary of State John Merrill is facing a lawsuit over his blocking of individuals on Twitter. The American Civil Liberties Union sued Merrill Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2018, on behalf of three Alabama citizens who say they were blocked on Merrill’s Twitter. They say an elected official shouldn’t be allowed to block constituents on Twitter because … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 20, 2018

Transgender former student sues Huntsville City Schools

A former student who is transgender sued Huntsville City Schools last week. The lawsuit filed in federal court by Zelda Menefee alleges the school district failed to act when she was harassed, physically assaulted and bullied because she was transgender, and that administrators ignored the actions. Menefee, 19, said the bullying was so bad — … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 19, 2018

Maddox touts plans to expand Medicaid, launch education lottery at bus tour kick off

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Walt Maddox promoted his plans to establish a state education lottery and expand Medicaid at the kick off of his statewide bus tour in Tuscaloosa on Monday. Maddox is attempting to make gains against sitting Gov. Kay Ivey by visiting 35 different stops on the tour. After the launch in Tuscaloosa, Maddox … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 18, 2018

Alabama Arise sets Medicaid expansion, end to grocery tax as priorities

Arise Alabama, a liberal-leaning statewide non-partisan group that works to better policy for low-income individuals, chose Medicaid expansion and working to end the state grocery tax as two of its top policy priorities going into the general election season and ahead of next year’s legislative session. More than 200 Arise members chose those priorities and … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 14, 2018

Survey: 78 percent say Alabama spends too little on public education

A new public opinion survey from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama found that 79 percent of Alabama citizens think the state spends too little on public education. PARCA, in collaboration with Samford University, surveyed 421 Alabama citizens on a variety of policy issues from June 4 to July 18, 2018. Those surveyed have … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 13, 2018

Prosecutors ask for rehearing on overturned Hubbard count; Hubbard continues appeal

The Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division is seeking a rehearing on the only overturned count of former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard’s 2016 felony ethics conviction. At the same time, Hubbard’s defense team is seeking a rehearing, too, asking the court to reconsider its entire opinion upholding all but one of the 12 guilty verdicts … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 11, 2018