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Federal court selects new Alabama congressional map
A federal court Thursday ordered Alabama to implement a new congressional map drawn by a court-appointed special master that creates a majority-Black district and a near-majority Black district. In a 49-page opinion issued on Thursday morning, U.S. Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus and U.S. district judges Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer wrote that the plan, known […]
Steve Marshall doesn’t know what Jim Crow was
Last Tuesday, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issued a “statement on redistricting to the people of Alabama.” It said his office would abide by a federal court order creating a second majority or near-majority Black congressional district while appealing the ruling. That’s a standard comment when one loses cases like these. (The office on Friday […]
New Elmore County men’s prison will cost over $1 billion
A state authority Tuesday put a “final guaranteed maximum price” on a new men’s prison in Elmore County at $1.082 billion, nearly equal to what legislators two years ago allocated for two men’s prisons. The higher price tag – blamed on inflation and changes to spaces in the building – makes the construction of a […]
Alabama redistricting: Special master submits three proposed congressional maps
Three proposed Alabama congressional maps will give Alabama’s Black voters a chance of electing their preferred candidates in two of the state’s seven congressional districts, a person overseeing the maps told a federal court Monday. Richard Allen, the special master assigned by the three-judge panel overseeing Alabama’s redistricting process, wrote in a 44-page report that […]
Alabama House Districts 16, 55 hold special elections Tuesday: what you need to know
Voters in the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa areas go to the polls Tuesday to choose nominees for special elections for the state House. In House District 16, running from Fayette County through north Tuscaloosa and western Jefferson counties, five Republicans and one Democrat are seeking their party’s nomination. In House District 55, in portions of Birmingham […]
The most dangerous idea in a library? Empathy
My 9-year-old daughter recently asked me if reading really makes you smarter. Put on the spot, I garbled my answer. I was driving, and we had to get to a softball practice on time. But here’s what I wanted to say: Reading teaches you new things. But more importantly, it makes you a more empathetic […]
U.S. Department of Labor holding Alabama event for miners affected by black lung disease
The U.S. Department of Labor has scheduled events in Tuscaloosa and Jasper for current and former coal miners and family members affected by black lung disease. The department will hold an event at the Tuscaloosa Library until 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. A second event is scheduled at the Jasper Library from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. […]
Nearly 200 workers go on strike at Tuscaloosa Mercedes supplier
The United Auto Workers said Wednesday that 190 workers had gone on strike at ZF Custom Chassis, a Tuscaloosa Mercedes parts supplier. UAW, which is engaged in a larger strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, said in an article published on their website on Tuesday that UAW members had rejected a contract offer from […]
The high price of Alabama’s low taxes
Say this about Alabama’s attitude toward guns: It reveals lawmakers’ priorities. For instance: when faced last year with a choice between gun access and funding law enforcement, Republican legislators chose gun access. This came from a bill that made concealed carry permits optional. There was no mass demand for this. But the National Rifle Association […]
That redistricting argument sounds familiar
Three federal judges order the Alabama Legislature to draw fair districts for Black voters. Lawmakers drag their feet. They submit a plan. Judges reject it for limiting the ability of Black Alabamians to choose their leaders. September 2023? Nope. September 1965. That redistricting fight 58 years ago isn’t a one-for-one match to what we see […]
Report: Maryland AG hiring Alabama attorney getting millions in Alabama corrections contracts
Butler Snow attorney William Lunsford, who has gotten nearly $15 million in legal services contracts with the Alabama Department of Corrections, has been retained by the Maryland attorney general over issues in the Baltimore jail’s health system. The Baltimore Banner reports Lunsford was retained amid accusations from the ACLU that the Maryland attorney general had […]
Federal court blocks Alabama’s congressional map, orders new lines drawn
A three-judge federal panel Tuesday ruled that a new Alabama congressional map failed to address Voting Rights Act violations and ordered a third party to draw new lines. In a 217-page opinion in the case, known as Allen v. Milligan, U.S. Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus and U.S. District Judges Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer sharply […]