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Court blocks the Alabama abortion ban

U.S. District Court Judge Myron Thompson , age 72, granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday blocking H.B. 314, the Human Life Protection Act. The state law would have banned abortion in nearly all instances in Alabama. The one exception is to protect the health of the mother. The move was expected by both the opponents of … Continued
October 30, 2019

Trump nominates Austin Huffaker for U.S. District Court

President Donald Trump announced Monday the appointment of Austin Huffaker, Jr. to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Huffaker is a shareholder at Rushton, Stakely, Johnston & Garrett, P.A, where his practice focuses on complex commercial, product and lender liability and professional malpractice litigation. Huffaker also … Continued
July 2, 2019

Senate Committee approves pay raises for corrections officers

The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee gave a favorable report Wednesday to a bill to raise pay for Alabama Corrections officers. House Bill 468 is sponsored by State Rep. Christopher John England, D-Tuscaloosa. “We have already paid for this one,” England said. “This is the compensation package for corrections officers.” The money is … Continued
May 9, 2019

Near-total abortion ban passes the House of Representatives

The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a bill that would criminalize nearly all abortions in the state of Alabama. House Bill 314 is sponsored by State Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur. “The heart of this bill is to confront a decision by the Court in 1973 that says that the child in the womb is … Continued
May 1, 2019

AG: State minimum wage law didn’t have racist intent

The state argued in a new brief filed in federal court that the state’s minimum wage law — which prevents cities from raising their minimum wages — is not racially motivated but is instead an ordinary piece of economic legislation aimed at maintaining a uniform wage floor across the state. Attorney General Steve Marshall filed … Continued
May 1, 2019

Collins to introduce abortion ban legislation to force Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade

State Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, announced that she is filing legislation that will work to protect unborn life by banning abortion in the state of Alabama. The bill is clearly a direct challenge to the controversial U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling which struck down state laws, including in Alabama, protecting the rights … Continued
April 2, 2019

ACLU of Alabama responds to possible abortion ban bill

On Wednesday, reports surfaced that the Alabama Pro-Life Coalition will be introducing a bill to criminalize abortion. The full text of the bill has not been released yet, but reportedly, it will make it a crime to provide or aid someone in obtaining an abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. A number of … Continued
April 1, 2019

Bills setting legislative districts can be read aloud for hours on end. This would change that.

A robotic voice that reads long bills at length in the Alabama Legislature might have one less job if one lawmaker has anything to say about it. When lawmakers were working to approve redrawn legislative districts in 2017 after a federal court ruled them unconstitutional, the robotic voice echoed through the halls of the Alabama … Continued
March 21, 2019

Federal court rules Alabama treatment of prisoners in isolation unconstitutional

A federal court ruled Monday that Alabama’s prison system fails to adequately evaluate the mental health of inmates during isolation in segregation cells. The treatment of the inmates is unconstitutional and violates the Eighth Amendment, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson wrote in a ruling that found the Alabama Department of Corrections to be “deliberately indifferent” … Continued
February 12, 2019

Internet personality sues Southern Poverty Law Center

Monday, internet television personality, humorist and public speaker Gavin McInnes has filed suit against the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center claiming damages for them labeling his work as hate speech. McInnes is an immigrant. He claims that he is an avowed and vocal opponent of discrimination based on race, religion or sexual preference and of … Continued
February 4, 2019