judicial override

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — Alabama’s House of Representatives, on its first day back from spring break, is expected to take up a bill that would end the State’s judicial override sentencing system. On Tuesday, the House is expected to begin debate, and maybe vote, on the bill sponsored by Rep. Chris England, … Continued

By Josh Moon Alabama Political Reporter Let me tell you about politics. Early Tuesday afternoon, as the Alabama Legislature was about to start up its fourth week of work, there was the usual mishmash of people milling around inside and outside of the State House. Conservative and Liberal groups. Lobbyists by the dozen. There was … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — A bill that would end Alabama’s judicial override sentencing system, which allows judges to override juries and impose the death penalty, passed the State Senate Thursday with a near-unanimous vote. Sen. Dick Brewbaker (R-Montgomery), sponsored the bill, which would prohibit a judge from overriding a jury’s sentence. Under … Continued

By Josh Moon Alabama Political Reporter There was a rare show of bipartisanship during Wednesday’s House Judiciary Committee meeting, and even rarer step taken to end a long-outdated practice. A bill that would bring an end to judicial override – the power that only Alabama now grants judges to overturn the decisions of juries and … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—The Alabama Medicaid Agency isn’t the only part of the State government with funding issues, and uncertainty over the future of Medicaid is spilling over into other agencies’ funding as well. The Alabama Legislature will begin its regular legislative session in just a few weeks. As lawmakers prepare, the session … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—The US Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a challenge to Alabama’s system of judicial override for the death penalty from several death-row inmates in the State. In a list of orders on pending cases released Monday, the Court denied certiorari in the case of Thomas Arthur v. Alabama. … Continued

By Joey Kennedy Alabama Political Reporter During my years as an editorial writer for The Birmingham News, I spent much of that time opposed to the death penalty. The death penalty should be abolished; clearly, innocent people have been killed by the State of Alabama. A number have been released from Death Row after being … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter In Alabama, even when a jury recommends someone only receive life in prison, a trial judge in a capital murder case can ignore that recommendation and impose the death penalty. Sen. Dick Brewbaker (R-Montgomery) wants to change this practice, known as “judicial override.” “The US Supreme Court has made … Continued