Author

Josh Moon

Josh Moon is an investigative reporter and columnist. You can reach him at [email protected].

National / News / State

Despite Supreme Court ruling, Alabama’s civil forfeiture laws will remain awful

The U.S Supreme Court on Wednesday mandated an overhaul of how America’s police departments and courts handle the seizure of assets from people convicted of a crime — stating plainly that 8th amendment protections against excessive fines also apply to states. But don’t worry. Cops in Alabama are still free to take your stuff, crime … Continued

Josh Moon

February 21, 2019

Opinion

The Montgomery School Board rejected a charter application. It was the right move.

It will be deemed the fault of the Montgomery County School Board that a plan for four conversion charter schools did not pass on Tuesday. Do not listen to that nonsense. The MPS board did what was right. It did what any group of people charged with oversight of a public school district should have … Continued

Josh Moon

February 20, 2019

Opinion

Everyday racism of publisher Goodloe Sutton is neither surprising nor uncommon

Goodloe Sutton is not a racist. That might seem impossible considering Sutton, the publisher of the Democrat-Reporter newspaper in Linden, just wrote an editorial calling for “the Ku Klux Klan to night ride again.” APR’s Chip Brownlee first brought attention to the editorial, which encourages the KKK to take out Democrats who are advocating for … Continued

Josh Moon

February 19, 2019

Opinion

Everyone is going to pretend that Steve Marshall didn’t break the law

Steve Marshall is going to get away with it. In a response to questions from APR, Gov. Kay Ivey’s office said this week that it won’t be moving forward with an investigation into Attorney General Marshall’s questionable campaign contributions that appeared to violate Alabama’s ban on political action committee transfers. Instead, Ivey said she “welcomes … Continued

Josh Moon

February 18, 2019

Opinion

The DNC (maybe) just ended Joe Reed’s stranglehold on the Alabama Democratic Party

The Democratic National Committee is on the verge of reviving the Alabama Democratic Party. In a surprising vote on Thursday, the DNC’s Credentials Committee decided that the state party elections of chairwoman Nancy Worley and vice-chairman Randy Kelly had too many irregularities and ordered new elections to be held within 90 days. While this is … Continued

Josh Moon

February 15, 2019

Opinion

The secret to avoiding lobbying laws in Alabama

Attention, lobbyists: Stop registering as lobbyists. Look, I know you guys don’t need more money — and Lord knows you don’t need any additional breaks from the people who are supposed to be policing you — but I’m here with a little piece of advice that could provide you with more of both, money and … Continued

Josh Moon

February 14, 2019

Opinion

What we could be versus what we are

At a remarkable press conference today, Gov. Kay Ivey announced a massive spending plan that invests in the people of Alabama and draws on practices from the most successful areas of our state and country. All told, the state will spend nearly a billion dollars on a combination of initiatives, including investments of over $500 … Continued

Josh Moon

February 13, 2019

Opinion

A little diversity could have saved everyone from a lot of blackface embarrassment

Diversity is important. If nothing else, I’ve learned that much from the last week-plus of debates over blackface. Chances are, if the governor of Virginia or any of these other white people had found themselves an actual black friend — and not the fake one they drag out as a human shield when they say … Continued

Josh Moon

February 12, 2019

Protests begin over decision not to prosecute officer who killed EJ Bradford

Fallout over Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s decision not to prosecute a police officer for shooting and killing an innocent man during a mall shooting last November reached the national level on Wednesday. Marshall announced on Tuesday that he wouldn’t seek charges against an unnamed Hoover cop who shot and killed EJ Bradford on Thanksgiving … Continued

Josh Moon

February 7, 2019

Montgomery DA recuses from investigating AG Marshall

Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey has recused his office from an investigating Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall over allegations that he accepted illegal campaign contributions. Bailey confirmed to APR that he sent a letter to Gov. Kay Ivey informing her of the recusal, which is based on potential conflicts of interest stemming from Montgomery … Continued

Josh Moon

February 6, 2019