Alabama

2 dead after law office shooting near courthouse; suspect is in custody

Two people are dead and a suspect is in custody following a shooting this morning at an Alabama lawyer’s office near the Marion County courthouse in Hamilton. Some news reports say a shooting also occurred at an accounting office near the courthouse. City Hall, the courthouse and nearby schools were…

Feb 10, 2016 2:40 PM CST

Alabama judge censured for telling offenders who couldn’t afford fines to give blood or face jail

An Alabama judge has been publicly censured for telling defendants who couldn’t afford to pay their fines to donate blood or face jail. Perry County Circuit Judge Marvin Wiggins had admitted violating five provisions of the state’s Canons of Judicial Ethics, the Southern Poverty Law Center said in a press…

Jan 25, 2016 1:45 PM CST

Former law prof pleads guilty to child-porn possession

A former law professor who was at one time married to a federal judge has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. Joseph Whitlow Blackburn, 68, a former professor at Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Al.com reports. Blackburn, who lived in Hoover, Alabama, agreed…

Jan 8, 2016 10:20 AM CST

Alabama chief justice orders probate judges to stop issuing same-sex marriage licenses

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore has issued an administrative order saying the state’s probate judges have a duty to enforce the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Moore wrote that the U.S. Supreme Court decision finding a right to gay marriage has created “confusion and uncertainty” among judges, Al.com reports. Some…

Jan 6, 2016 1:51 PM CST

Supreme Court is asked to review Alabama decision refusing to recognize adoption by lesbian

A cert petition filed with U.S. Supreme Court on Monday seeks review of an Alabama Supreme Court decision refusing to recognize a Georgia adoption granted to a lesbian mother. The petition (PDF) claims the Alabama Supreme Court decision violates the full faith and credit clause, the Washington Post reports. The…

Nov 17, 2015 8:35 AM CST

8-year-old boy is charged with murder in toddler’s death; mom faces lesser charge

Corrected: An 8-year-old boy in Birmingham, Alabama, has been charged with murder in the beating death of a 1-year-old girl left in his care while the toddler’s mother was out at a nightclub, according to police. The boy, who is not related to the toddler he is accused of killing,…

Nov 11, 2015 7:51 AM CST

Defendant who says he was pressured by judge to give blood sues company that accepted his donation

An Alabama man says he was pressured into donating blood by a state-court judge during a Sept. 17 hearing. He has sued the blood donation center which was operating out of a bus outside the Perry County Courthouse that day. Filed Friday in Perry County by attorney Martin Weinberg, the…

Nov 6, 2015 2:55 PM CST

Hacktivist group’s ‘Million Mask March’ sparks protests at US federal courthouses

A “Million Mask March” on Thursday organized by the hacktivist group Anonymous on the anniversary of a failed British rebellion in 1605 reportedly created chaos in London. But it also sparked apparently non-violent protests in the U.S. by individuals wearing the white mask associated with Anonymous and would-be assassin Guy…

Nov 6, 2015 12:40 PM CST

Alabama probate judge says federal government could issue same-sex marriage licenses

An Alabama probate judge is asking the state supreme court to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages unless the licenses were issued by the federal government or states with laws legalizing such marriages. The judge, John Enslen, tells Al.com he believes he is wrongfully compelled to issue same-sex marriage licenses and…

Oct 7, 2015 8:35 AM CDT

More states lift bans on welfare and food stamps for drug offenders

Alabama and Texas are the latest states to lift restrictions on food stamps for drug offenders, part of a growing number of states opting out of a ban enacted by Congress in 1996. The federal law allows bans on food stamps and welfare for people convicted of state and federal…

Oct 1, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Alabama Supreme Court refuses to recognize lesbian adoption granted in Georgia

The Alabama Supreme Court has refused to recognize an adoption granted to a lesbian woman in 2007 by a Georgia court. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled on Friday in a per curiam decision with one dissent, report Reuters, Al.com and the Associated Press. The woman who adopted the three children,…

Sep 21, 2015 7:20 AM CDT

Jailed woman charged with endangering fetus drops suit seeking an abortion

An Alabama woman denied an abortion after her arrest for allegedly exposing her fetus to methamphetamine and Adderall has dropped her July 20 lawsuit seeking the procedure. The 29-year-old, identified only as “Jane Doe,” said Friday that she had changed her mind and no longer wanted an abortion, the New…

Aug 3, 2015 11:49 AM CDT

Lawyer sues Alabama governor for return of Confederate flags to Capitol memorial

An Alabama lawyer has sued the state’s governor in a bid to force the return of four Confederate flags to a memorial on the grounds of the state Capitol. The suit (PDF), filed on Tuesday by Cullman lawyer Melvin Hasting, claims Gov. Robert Bentley exceeded his authority when he ordered…

Jul 16, 2015 2:19 PM CDT

Should Confederate flag be displayed? ABA president, state officials, stores take a stand against it

A call Monday by South Carolina’s governor for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the state capitol grounds was swiftly followed by announcements from additional states, major retailers and at least one flag manufacturer that they, too, are taking action to limit the flag’s display. Considered by some…

Jun 24, 2015 10:22 AM CDT

Lawyer resurrects his ‘burn the courthouse down’ closing, wins acquittal

Court watchers in Mobile, Alabama, had heard it before. During closing arguments in the federal corruption trial of two Mobile County officials, defense lawyer Dennis Knizley told jurors they shouldn’t trust the prosecution’s star witness, software developer Victor Crawford, Al.com reports. “If they ask you to convict a wonderful, sweet…

Jun 8, 2015 5:45 AM CDT