Criminal justice reform bills pass out of House Judiciary Committee
The bills would continue a trend of more progressive reforms that are slowly rolling back mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
House Judiciary Committee
House Judiciary Committee passes bail reform law named for Aniah Blanchard
The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday passed a bill to give judges more discretion in denying bail to people accused of committing violent crimes. The bill is named for Aniah Blanchard, a 19-year-old Alabama college student who was kidnapped and murdered last year. The man charged with her murder, Ibraheed Yazeed, was out on bond … Continued
Foundation for Moral Law defends Trump in subpoena case
Wednesday, the Montgomery based Foundation for Moral Law filed an amicus brief Wednesday at the U.S. Supreme Court in support of President Donald J. Trump (R). Pres, Trump is arguing that the House of Representatives cannot subpoena his financial records. The Foundation agrees with the President. Matt Clark is the attorney for the Foundation wrote … Continued
House committee OKs bill to increase penalties for attorneys that case run
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee gave a favorable report to a bill, HB189, which increases the penalties for unscrupulous attorneys who aggressively seek out potential plaintiffs, by offering bribes, inducements, or by hiring a person to recruit potential clients. The term used for this unscrupulous practice is case running. “Under existing law, an attorney … Continued
US Sen. Shelby endorses Sen. Strange
By Brandon Moseley Alabama Political Reporter Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., endorsed appointed Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., in the Republican primary runoff on Sept. 26. The endorsement is being promulgated in a statewide direct mail campaign paid for by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and their Alabama affiliate: the Business Council … Continued
House committee OKs bill to shorten death penalty appeal times
By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — A House committee gave a favorable report to a Senate bill Tuesday that would shorten the time frame for death penalty appeals in an effort to reduce the number of years that can pass while an inmate stays on death row. The bill would require death row inmates to … Continued
Legislature a step away from abolishing marriage licenses
By Josh Moon Alabama Political Reporter Alabama is one step closer to the elimination of marriage licenses. The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, voting straight down party lines, moved forward a bill that would abolish the licenses. The bill, which has already passed the Senate, now goes to the full House for approval. It did … Continued
The End of Robert Bentley: Part III
By Josh Moon Alabama Political Reporter The end for Robert Bentley came several times in his final 48 hours as Governor. Sources close to the Governor, including two who were present for portions of the negotiations that ultimately led to his resignation, said Bentley backed away from agreements to resign twice between mid-afternoon Saturday and … Continued
Zeigler: “It’s Now or Never” on Bentley Impeachment
By Brandon Moseley Alabama Political Reporter Sunday, April 2017, Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler (R) suggested that the theme song for the investigation of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R) should be: “It’s Now or Never” by Elvis Presley. Zeigler said that, “The probes of Gov. Robert Bentley will come to a head in April and … Continued
Governor’s attorney seeks to stop release of Bentley investigation report
By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — Gov. Robert Bentley’s attorney is attempting to stop or delay hearings and the release of a written report from the special counsel of the House committee charged with making a recommendation on the Governor’s impeachment. Ross Garber, Bentley’s lawyer, filed an emergency request with the House Judiciary … Continued