violation

The Alabama Ethics Commission is again making it less burdensome to violate campaign reporting laws. In a 3-0 vote on Wednesday (with two abstentions), the Commission voted to give itself the authority to reduce the number of offenses levied against candidates and political action committees (PACs) that violate campaign finance reporting rules. Typical violations occur … Continued

When Republicans won a supermajority in the Legislature in 2010, they pushed to enact strict ethics and campaign finance laws. Current appointed Republican Attorney General Steve Marshall, the party’s standard bearer in the upcoming November general election for attorney general, has not only accepted tainted funds, which drew an ethics complaint, but he has also … Continued

Secretary of State John Merrill is facing a lawsuit over his blocking of individuals on Twitter. The American Civil Liberties Union sued Merrill Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2018, on behalf of three Alabama citizens who say they were blocked on Merrill’s Twitter. They say an elected official shouldn’t be allowed to block constituents on Twitter because … Continued

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday arrested Paul Littlejohn III, the Jefferson County field director for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Bell Cobb, charging him with violating Alabama’s sex offender laws. Littlejohn, 55, was convicted in 1985 of the rape and sodomy of a 30-year-old woman, according to Alabama Law Enforcement Agency records. He was released … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—A Federal class-action/anti-trust suit against Blue Cross BlueShield of Alabama and 37 others is being heard in Birmingham. The suit alleges that “The Individual Blue Plans’ anticompetitive conduct has also resulted in higher premiums for their enrollees for over a decade,” and this has led to, “inflated premiums (that) … Continued

By Susan Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—On Thursday, the State filed a response to the Defense’s renewed motion to dismiss the case against Mike Hubbard, on grounds of prosecutorial misconduct and fraud. In conjunction, a motion for a protective order regarding Baron Coleman’s disclosure of information. Coleman, who filed an affidavit on Feb. 2, 2016, … Continued