Latest news with #AlabamaReflector
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall to run for U.S. Senate
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall delivers his inaugural speech during inauguration ceremonies at the Alabama State Capitol on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 in Montgomery, Alabama. Marshall said Thursday he will run for U.S. Senate in 2026. (Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector) Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Thursday he will seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Tommy Tuberville. 'Right now, the nation needs strong conservative leadership, somebody that's going to be able to advance President Trump's agenda,' Marshall said in an interview with Washington Examiner Thursday. 'And the work that I've done as attorney general, I think, makes it abundantly clear that I'm willing to fight the right battles and to be effective in doing it, and look forward to being able to take that to the Senate.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX As the attorney general, Marshall has embraced conservative causes and beliefs including joining a lawsuit filed last year seeking to prevent New York from withdrawing religious exemptions for the measles vaccine, briefs that support efforts to restrict gender affirming care for transgender people and efforts to overturn gun restrictions in other states. When it comes to state issues, Marshall's office prevailed in a lawsuit challenging Alabama's transgender care ban earlier this year. But it lost a high-profile battle over congressional districting that led a federal court to order the redrawing of two districts where Black voters would have an opportunity to select their preferred representatives. Marshall was appointed Alabama attorney general by former Gov. Robert Bentley in 2017, after former Attorney General Luther Strange was appointed to the U.S. Senate. He won re-election in 2018 and 2022 and is not eligible for re-election again. Tuberville on Tuesday announced that he would run for governor of Alabama next year. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Alabama may pause redistricting efforts until 2030 to avoid federal oversight
The front of Hugo L Black Courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama on August 15, 2023. (Jemma Stephenson/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Attorney General's Office said Wednesday the state may forgo drawing new congressional district maps before 2030 to prevent federal oversight of future redistricting. The state made the argument during a meeting with a three-judge federal panel and attorneys for plaintiffs who successfully challenged two congressional maps drawn by the Legislature in 2021 and 2023 that the panel said earlier this month showed intentional discrimination against Black voters. The plaintiffs asked the panel to consider preclearance under the Voting Rights Act as a possible remedy. Preclearance would require federal approval of any changes to election laws. Alabama was subject to preclearance from 1965 to 2013, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the relevant section of the Voting Rights Act that dictated preclearance for areas with histories of voting discrimination. But the law does allow courts to impose it as a remedy. Less than two hours before Wednesday's hearing, attorneys for the state filed a court document stating that while they 'maintain their arguments about the necessity and constitutionality of any remedial plan,' legislative leaders 'will voluntarily forgo any rights that they may have to attempt to draw an additional congressional district map as part of remedial proceedings in this case.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'We have been talking to the state about the possibility of perhaps resolving some or all of the remedial issues in this case, and that we would like the court to give us an opportunity to continue to have those discussions if they prove fruitful,' said Deuel Ross, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund representing the plaintiffs, during the status conference. Federal court: Alabama Legislature intentionally discriminated against Black voters in redistricting Jim Davis of the Alabama Attorney General's Office said during the status conference that, though subject to appeal, the state agrees that the map drawn by a special master would be the final remedial map. 'There have been a few discussions,' Davis said to the three-judge panel. 'It's possible that it could influence the briefing, possibly even resolve some issues.' A message seeking comment was left Wednesday with the Alabama Attorney General's office. The three-judge panel set a June 9 deadline for parties to file a joint written report on the status of the case and the possibility of resolving outstanding issues, including a request to place Alabama back into federal preclearance. 'Either we're going to sort of settle things and resolve this case, or we're going to continue on with our request for preclearance in this,' Ross said in a phone interview after the status conference. The federal court ruling found that the Alabama Legislature had ignored previous orders to create a congressional map with two districts where Black voters would have a substantial opportunity to elect their preferred candidate. Alabama has had at least one majority-Black U.S. House district – the 7th – since 1992, but plaintiffs argued that it failed to give proper representation to Black Alabamians, who make up about 27% of the state's population but, with a single majority-Black district, only made up 14% of Alabama's U.S. House delegation. The three-judge panel struck down the 2021 map in 2022, ruling that racially polarized voting in Alabama meant that Black Alabamians could not select their preferred leaders. The judges ordered the state to draw a new map, a move the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in 2023. That summer, the Republican-controlled Legislature approved a map with one majority Black district and one district that was 40% Black. The judges sharply criticized the Legislature and appointed a special master who drew a map where two of Alabama's seven U.S. House districts — the 2nd and the 7th – have majority-Black or near-majority Black populations. This map was used in the 2024 elections, resulting in the first time in history that Alabama elected two Black U.S. Representatives simultaneously. The court Wednesday also provided a hearing schedule for the preclearance issue if a settlement is not reached. The state would file its brief by June 16, and the plaintiffs would have until June 23 to respond. Intervening legislative defendants would have until June 27 to file a reply. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Twinkle Cavanaugh leaves Public Service Commission for Trump administration job
Snow falls on the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery amid rare winter weather on Jan. 21, 2025. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh will step down as president of Alabama's Public Service Commission to take a role in President Donald Trump's administration, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cavanaugh will serve as the state director of rural development in Alabama. According to the press release, Cavanaugh will 'affirm the mission of the Trump Administration by focusing on finding ways to empower rural America and unleash economic prosperity.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A message seeking comment was left Tuesday with Gina Maiola, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kay Ivey, who is responsible for appointing the interim president. According to Maiola said the governor will appoint someone 'in the coming days.' Cavanaugh, a former chair of the Alabama Republican Party, was first elected to the Public Service Commission in 2010. In 2012, she was elected president of the commission, defeating Lucy Baxley, who at the time was the last Democrat holding statewide office in Alabama. The Public Service Commission is the state's utility regulator, though critics have long accused it of being passive toward the companies it oversees. The PSC since 1982 has operated under a system that guarantees utilities a profit, a process different from a formal rate hearing, where an entity must justify any rate increases. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville to run for Alabama Governor
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, addresses a crowd at a breakfast hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in Montgomery on Feb. 14, 2024. Tuberville announced his 2026 campaign for Alabama governor on Tuesday on Fox News. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville formally entered the 2026 campaign for governor of Alabama Tuesday, launching a campaign website shortly before announcing his candidacy on Fox News Tuesday afternoon. 'I will be the future governor of the great state of Alabama,' Tuberville said from Bryon's Smokehouse in Auburn. 'I've still got 18 months to go with President Trump to make America great again. We've got a lot of work to do.' The campaign website says Tuberville is running on 'fighting back against woke ideology,' growing Alabama jobs, improving education and securing the border, among other platforms. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'We're going to make education better again, and we're going to do everything possible to make sure our kids, when they graduate in this great state, the yellow hammer state, that they stay in this state and work,' he said. Tuberville, a first-term U.S. senator who owns a beach home in Walton County, Florida, has faced questions throughout the years about his residency in Alabama. The governor of the Alabama Daily News reported in April that his Auburn home has had a homestead exemption since 2018. Until recently, the property was under his wife and son's name, according to ADN. 'My wife and I, Suzanne, moved here over 25 years ago. As you know, I coached, and it was a great time. We made some great friends,' he said. 'So a few years ago, I decided to give back to this great country.' Tuberville announced his campaign after weeks of dodging the question from multiple outlets. He changed his social media to 'Coach for Governor' prior to the appearance on Fox News. The first-term senator and former Auburn University football coach was endorsed by President Donald Trump in his 2020 campaign for U.S. senator. Tuberville defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat, after a general election campaign where he limited most interviews and appearances to friendly conservative media outlets. His campaign for governor leaves that seat open for the 2026 midterm elections. Tuberville is the first declared Republican candidate in the contest. Current Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth was expected to run after Gov. Kay Ivey's term ends, but he announced last week that he would not campaign for the state's highest office to spend time with his family. Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate told that he abandoned thoughts of running for governor after the rumors of Tuberville's candidacy began. Gov. Kay Ivey, who has served in the office since 2017, is term-limited. A message seeking comment from Ivey was sent Tuesday afternoon. The primary is set for May 19, 2026, and the general election is set for Nov. 3, 2026. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bills targeting library operations die in Alabama Legislature
Books in the young adult section of the Ozark - Dale County Library on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023 in Ozark, Ala. Two bills -- one that could have subjected librarians to obscenity prosecutions and one that would have allow city or county governments to remove library board members failed to move in the Alabama Legislature's recently-concluded 2025 regular session. (Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector) The battles over library content continue throughout Alabama. But two bills that could have affected how libraries operate failed to move in the Legislature's 2025 session. One measure, HB 4, would have applied state obscenity laws to public libraries and their employees if there were materials judged to be obscene in the children's section. The other, SB 6, would have allowed cities and counties to terminate members of the library boards without cause. The battles over library books began in Alabama in 2023, after a parent using the Autauga-Prattville Library complained about a book in the children's section that had inclusive pronouns. Similar fights have erupted all over the state. Supporters of restrictions say they are trying to get obscene material out of children's sections of the library. Critics say those restrictions target books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes and not necessarily obscene books. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Our devoted and beleaguered librarians will not have to worry about being handcuffed and jailed for refusing to censor books under House Bill 4, the 'Jail the Librarians bill,' which never made it out of its House Committee,' said Read Freely Alabama, a group that opposes new library restrictions, in a statement shortly after the 2025 legislative session ended. 'Furthermore, the bill which would have politicized our library boards even more (SB 6) once again died before making it to the Senate floor.' Multiple messages seeking comment were left with Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Indian Springs, the sponsor of HB 4, and Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, the sponsor of SB 6. Amy Minton, a member of the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) Board and an advocate of additional restrictions on library content, said in an interview that she was 'a little surprised that people get so upset about the obscenity or sexually explicit materials.' 'If they don't have it in the library, why do they get so upset about them being asked to be moved, whether through a law or policy?' she said. HB 4 would have amended the state's obscenity laws to make public libraries and librarians criminally liable for making materials that are sexually explicit or harmful to minors available. The legislation would have allowed residents served by the library to file a notice with the staff that they believe there are sexually explicit or inappropriate materials found in sections of the library dedicated to minors. Libraries would then have to relocate the materials to the adult section or remove them entirely. They can also notify the public that they have determined the item is in the appropriate section, which any resident can then challenge. Noncompliance would have subjected librarians to prosecution under Alabama obscenity laws, which can be as severe as a Class B felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. SB 6 would have mandated that library board members be appointed to a four-year term and that members could be removed from the board with a two-thirds of the members of the governing body, either the city or county, agree by vote. The House Judiciary Committee never considered HB 4. SB 6 got approval from the Senate County and Municipal Government Committee, which Elliott chairs, but did not come to a vote on the Senate floor. Mooney's obscenity bill was approved further along in the 2024 session, receiving approval from members of the House and even getting approved in the Senate Children and Youth Health Committee before it stalled in the Senate. Elliott's legislation was approved in the Senate and the House County and Municipal Government Committee where it remained as the session ended. Advocates of restrictions have succeeded in convincing the Alabama Public Library Service, the state agency that oversees local library funding, to impose policy changes that favor more restrictions. In March, the APLS Board suspended funding to the Fairhope Public Library in Baldwin County while also voting to have Pack terminated after Minton made a motion. Supporters of the library raised money to replace the lost funding and defended the library at city council and APLS meetings. Alabama GOP chair John Wahl, who currently serves as chair of the APLS Board, said at a meeting earlier this month that members are waiting for the Fairhope Public Library to complete its review of the books that parents challenged before resuming funding to the library. 'We know that the fight isn't over. As we speak, a stacked and extreme Alabama Public Library Service board continues its assault on libraries, stripping funding from those who will not cave to their demands,' Read Freely Alabama said in the statement. 'And even today, as this session closes, opposing forces are already crafting legislation for a chosen representative to prefile, and are regrouping to continue their assault on our freedoms and beloved public institutions at the next legislative session.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
