ACLU of Alabama

After months of a reduction in parole hearings for Alabama’s incarcerated, the state Bureau of Pardons and Paroles is ramping up the numbers of those hearings.  In a response to ARP’s questions Monday about how those hearings are set, Bureau spokesman Terry Abbott said that the agency has a target goal of 540 hearings during … Continued

A report released Monday predicts that in 2020 Alabama’s deadly, overcrowded prisons, already under threat of a federal takeover, will become even more crowded, largely due to a dramatic reduction in the number of paroles being granted.   The report, published by the Campaign for Smart Justice with the ACLU of Alabama, predicts that the state … Continued

Too little, too late, advocates for criminal justice reform say to promises for reform by the Alabama Department of Corrections following a second inmate death at the hands of correctional officers in three months.  The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) released a statement on Tuesday announcing that 55-year-old inmate Michael Smith of Fairfield was pronounced … Continued

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a lower court ruling that blocked an Alabama law restricting the procedure most commonly used during second-trimester abortions. The Alabama Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Act that was passed in 2016 made it a crime for physicians to perform dilation and evacuation abortions, the procedure used for … Continued

Staff Report MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama ruled late Tuesday afternoon that the Federal requirement that health insurance plans provide contraceptive coverage does not violate the religious free exercise rights of Mobile-based Eternal World Television Network (EWTN)—the largest religious media network in the world. “Religious freedom … Continued

By Susan Watson Executive Director, ACLU of Alabama When it comes to religion, Alabama lawmakers just can’t stop living in a bygone era: The legislature is poised to pass several troubling measures this session that would authorize public schools to impose official prayer on students and encourage schools and other governmental bodies to put up … Continued

Staff Report MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Alabama filed an amicus brief today arguing that the federal requirement that health insurance plans provide contraceptive coverage does not violate the religious exercise rights of the Mobile-based Eternal World Television Network (EWTN)—the largest religious media network in the world. “Contraceptives … Continued

By Susan Watson Executive Director, ACLU of Alabama Most of us expect that when we go to a hospital we will be cared for, regardless of the health condition presented. But a bill (HB 31) that will soon be considered by the Alabama Senate could allow a health care professional to refuse, because of their … Continued