Courts

Supreme Court hands down two rulings expanding religious liberty

The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday handed down two decisions strengthening religious liberty and expanding freedom of religion. In the first case, the Court ruled in favor of the Little Sisters of the Poor, saying that the Catholic nuns do not have to pay for medical procedures that they object to including abortion. The … Continued

Brandon Moseley

July 9, 2020

Judge refuses to dismiss Roy Moore lawsuit against Sacha Baron Cohen

A federal judge last week refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Sacha Baron Cohen, Showtime and CBS filed by former Senate candidate Roy Moore.

Brandon Moseley

July 6, 2020

Dale County man indicted on 60 counts of child sex crimes

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the indictment of a Dale County man for 60 counts of child sex crimes. Jason Park, age 40, of Newton, was served notice of the indictments on June 26 at the Dale County Jail, where he was already incarcerated after being arrested previously on many of the same charges. … Continued

Brandon Moseley

June 30, 2020

Birmingham man sentenced for carjacking and firearm charges

A federal judge sentenced Darise Cortez Austin, age 29, on Friday for carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence that occurred in Birmingham. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Acting Special Agent in Charge Frank Haera. U.S. District Judge Corey … Continued

Brandon Moseley

June 29, 2020

Court asked to intervene to address understaffing in Alabama prisons

Attorneys for the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections in a Wednesday court filing argued that the state is woefully behind on court-ordered hiring of correctional officers for the state’s overcrowded, understaffed prisons, and they asked for more court intervention. It has been more than two years since U.S. District Judge … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 24, 2020

FBI: Noose found in Black NASCAR driver’s stall was there for months

Federal agencies investigating a noose found in the garage stall of Black NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace said Tuesday that the noose had been in the stall since late 2019 and that no federal crimes were committed. “On Monday, fifteen FBI special agents conducted numerous interviews regarding the situation at Talladega Superspeedway. After a thorough review … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 23, 2020

“I’ve never felt the fear I felt then:” Demonstrators describe police action at Huntsville protest

Protesters gathered in Huntsville on Wednesday, first at an NAACP rally against police brutality, and later an unorganized protest downtown near the Madison County courthouse. The largely peaceful demonstrations ended when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at demonstrators who refused to disperse after a protest permit expired at 6:30 p.m. The Huntsville Police … Continued

Chip Brownlee

June 5, 2020

Alabama Parole and Probation Officers supervising nearly 9,000 violent criminals

The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles released a report Thursday that was shared with state legislators and the media this week that shows Alabama’s 300 parole and probation officers are tasked with supervising 8,993 people convicted of violent crimes. The officers are tasked with supervising more than 27,000 Alabama offenders as well as more … Continued

Brandon Moseley

May 29, 2020

Ward says new revenue is needed to reduce the court backlog

The Alabama Political Reporter on Thursday spoke with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, about how the state can address the backlog of judicial cases in the Alabama court system. Ward said that the backlog for the courts is due to legislators being unwilling to find sufficient revenue for the state general fund. Anybody … Continued

Brandon Moseley

May 22, 2020

Shelby: Senate confirms Birmingham’s Anna Manasco as U.S district judge

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, R-Ala., today announced that Anna Manasco of Birmingham, Alabama, has been confirmed 71-21 by the full Senate to be a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. Manasco was nominated for the federal judgeship by President Trump in February. Following her nomination, she appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee … Continued

May 21, 2020