SCOTUS

By Brandon Moseley Alabama Political Reporter On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling declaring parts of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act invalid. The Court ruled that part of the Defense of Marriage Act is a violation of the fifth amendment. Specifically the Court struck down the provision of DOMA preventing lawfully … Continued

Staff Report WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court ended its term with a flurry of decisions in cases with strong Alabama connections, and there are signs that trend will continue this fall as Shelby County prepares to send the justices its challenge to the Voting Rights Act in the next few weeks. The Shelby County … Continued

Staff Report A coalition of groups seeking to overturn the state’s immigration law said Monday that Attorney General Luther Strange should issue new guidelines to law enforcement based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week. In particular, representatives of the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center and National Immigration Law Center said they believed the … Continued

Staff Report BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — About 40 people gathered in front of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute tonight, part of a 10-city statewide show of unity against the types of tough immigration laws passed in Alabama and Arizona. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule sometime this week on Arizona’s illegal immigration law, a … Continued

Staff Report A new report estimates that more than 500 people died prematurely in Alabama during 2010, about 10 a week, because they lacked health insurance and access to preventive and primary care. “Dying for Coverage,” a new report issued this week by the nonprofit Families USA, said 26,100 people in the United States between … Continued

Staff Report WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court might decide as early as Monday whether to accept or reject former Gov. Don Siegelman’s request that the justices hear his appeal. If they accept, Siegelman and his at­torneys could be standing before the justices later this year arguing that prosecutors incorrectly twisted a regu­lar political contribution … Continued

Staff Report In a historic ruling Wednesday, the US Supreme Court tackled a question as old as the Bible itself: Should secular rulers decide whether a religious worker is doing God’s work? Not even people of faith easily know if one of their own is sincerely pious. And perhaps for that very reason, the high … Continued