Latest news with #AlabamaSupremeCourt
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former Justice Jay Mitchell announces run for Alabama AG
Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell listens to Gov. Kay Ivey deliver the State of the State address in the Old House Chamber at the Alabama State Capitol on Feb. 4, 2025 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Will McClelland for Alabama Reflector) Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell announced Monday he is campaigning for the Alabama Attorney General's Office. Mitchell, a Republican who served on the Alabama Supreme Court from 2019 until his resignation in May, said in a statement that he is a 'proven conservative and a warrior for President Donald J. Trump and the America First agenda' and is running to 'stop the lawlessness, restore order, and dismantle Joe Biden's radical left wing policies.' 'This isn't just my race – it's our fight for Alabama's future. I'll take on the radical left, advance the Trump agenda, and never stop fighting for our state,' Mitchell said in a statement. He describes himself as a 'law and order conservative with the guts to protect our Constitution' in the campaign launch video. Mitchell claimed a 'tough-on-crime approach to law and order' in his campaign announcement. Mitchell also said he plans to 'aggressively pursue mass deportations.' His campaign video stated that Mitchell 'will work with President Trump to make Alabama the state criminals and illegals hate most.' On social issues, Mitchell said he would 'defend the sanctity of life' and 'fight the woke agenda,' saying that 'no matter the cost, I will stand firm to protect the unborn.' Mitchell in February 2024 wrote the majority opinion ruling that frozen embryos outside the womb are 'children,' forcing several in-vitro fertilization (IVF) providers in Alabama to pause services temporarily. Mitchell wrote that there was no exception for frozen embryos under an 1872 law allowing civil lawsuits for the wrongful death of children, or under a 2018 state constitutional amendment that required the state to 'ensure the protection of the rights of the unborn child.' 'The upshot here is that the phrase 'minor child' means the same thing in the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act as it does in everyday parlance: 'an unborn or recently born' individual member of the human species, from fertilization until the age of majority,' Mitchell wrote in the opinion. Attorney General Steve Marshall, who was appointed in 2017 by former Gov. Robert Bentley and reelected in 2018 and 2022, is term-limited but announced he would run for the U.S. Senate. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a first-term senator, also announced he would run for governor. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell launches campaign for Alabama Attorney General
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell has officially launched his campaign for Alabama Attorney General. Mitchell is known for his conservative rulings and tough-on-crime approach to law and order at the Alabama Supreme Court. 'With President Trump in the White House, we have a unique opportunity to get conservative wins here in Alabama,' Mitchell said. 'I'm running for Attorney General to stop the lawlessness, restore order, and dismantle Joe Biden's radical left wing policies.' If elected, Mitchell said that he intends to focus on the following issues: Crack Down on Violent Crime: 'Alabama is safer when criminals face real consequences. I will lock up violent offenders and make sure they stay locked up.' Enforce Immigration Law : 'I will make sure that Alabama does its part to aggressively pursue mass deportations.' Back the Blue: 'Our law enforcement officers are the thin blue line between order and chaos. They have my steadfast support.' Defend the Sanctity of Life: 'No matter the cost, I will stand firm to protect the unborn.' Fight the Woke Agenda: 'No boys in girls' sports. No DEI. No more woke nonsense.' A video of Jay Mitchell officially announcing his campaign can be found here. Mitchell first became a member of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2018, but recently resigned from his post. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Ivey appoints first Black Republican on Alabama Supreme Court
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday appointed state appellate Judge Bill Lewis to the Alabama Supreme Court. He will be the first Black Republican to serve on the court. Lewis replaces Justice Jay Mitchell, who resigned Monday. Lewis most recently served on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. Ivey appointed him to the position last year. He was previously the presiding circuit judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit in Elmore County. 'Judge Bill Lewis continues demonstrating justice and fairness under the law, as well as a willingness to serve the people of Alabama,' Ivey said in a statement. 'His decades of experience will serve the Supreme Court of Alabama well, and I am confident he is the best choice.' Lewis is the fourth Black justice to serve on the state's highest court and the first Black Republican. The three previous Black justices — Oscar Adams, Ralph Cook and John England — were all Democrats. Alabama's appellate judges run in statewide partisan elections, just like the governor, attorney general and other top officials. The court, like other statewide offices, has become dominated by Republicans. The state Supreme Court has been all-Republican for over a decade and has been comprised entirely of white justices since 2001. A group of Black voters in 2016 filed a federal lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the state's method of selecting judges, saying the statewide elections have resulted in all-white courts in a state where one in four residents is Black. Ivey will appoint Lewis' replacement to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. In his resignation letter to Ivey, Mitchell, also a Republican, said he wants to play a more active role in politics and will make an announcement about his future in the coming days. 'President Trump is moving boldly to restore the United States Constitution — and we must ensure that his agenda takes root not only in Washington, but also in the states,' Mitchell wrote. Mitchell is best known for writing an opinion regarding frozen embryos that said couples could sue for wrongful death of a minor child after their frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed. The ruling temporarily upended IVF services in the state as clinics became concerned about civil liability.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Kay Ivey appoints Bill Lewis to the Alabama Supreme Court
The Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building in downtown Montgomery, Alabama, seen on January 24, 2023. Gov. Kay Ivey Tuesday appointed Bill Lewis to replace Justice Jay Mitchell's resignation.(Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Gov. Kay Ivey Tuesday appointed Judge Bill Lewis to the Alabama Supreme Court following Justice Jay Mitchell's resignation on Monday. 'Judge Bill Lewis continues demonstrating justice and fairness under the law, as well as a willingness to serve the people of Alabama,' Ivey said in a statement. Ivey appointed Lewis to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in February 2024 after he served in the Elmore County Circuit Court. Ivey will soon announce Lewis' replacement to the Court of Civil Appeals, according to the statement. Mitchell, a Republican who had served on the court since 2019, sent his resignation letter to Ivey's office Monday saying he felt the need to play a larger role in 'restoring the U.S. Constitution' in Alabama. 'President Trump is moving boldly to restore the United States Constitution – and we must ensure his agenda takes root not only in Washington, but also in the states,' he wrote. 'I feel called to play a larger role in that effort in Alabama.' Mitchell did not say what his next role would be, but that he would announce it soon.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislative task force seeks alternative funding sources for Alabama courts
Members of the Cost Cost Task Force gather to discuss ongoing issues with court-imposed fines and fees at the Alabama Supreme Court on Monday, May 19, 2025. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector) A group of judges, legislators and agency staff will explore ways to fund the state's court system in lieu of relying on fines and fees imposed by the courts. Members of the Court Cost Task Force convened the first meeting on Monday at the Alabama Supreme Court to review possible alternative funding streams to pay expenses for a court system that has been chronically underfunded. 'Most court costs, which you will see in just a minute, are going to non-court entities,' said Sarah Hicks Stewart, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, who presided over the meeting. 'By that, I mean non-judicial branch people. The vast majority of court costs are not going to court.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Non-court entities are receiving their funding from the fines imposed by the courts that are not tied to the state's criminal legal system, Stewart said. The group plans to issue a report near the start of the 2026 legislative session in January outlining recommendations to the Legislature to mitigate the issues that arise when courts impose fines and fees on individuals who need access to the courts. Courts receive a significant portion of their operational expenses from fines and fees that judges impose. But the revenues collected go to pay for programs that are not necessarily tied to the court system. Revenues that are disbursed to agencies are also not enough to cover the full cost of operating and must rely on other sources. Fines and fees also disproportionately affect the state's most vulnerable populations. According to data obtained from the Alabama State Bar website, courts collected about $480 million from court fines and fees imposed by the courts. Of that, about $26.5 million went on to pay for expenses for court operations. The majority, about $312 million or 67%, went to third parties. Some of it is in the form of restitution for criminal cases. About $160 million went to judgments while another $118 million was disbursed toward the Alabama Central Disbursement Division Child Support Unit to process child support payments. Almost $1.5 million went toward child support payments. About $126 million are disbursed to non-court expenses, such as the General Fund budget, which receives money from sales taxes from the internet. According to the Alabama State Bar Association's website, the General Fund budget receives almost $75 million of the fines and fees that are paid to the courts. There are also disparities in the fines and fees that courts impose that people will pay depending on the county. Constitution Act 96 is supposed to prohibit the Alabama Legislature from enacting any laws 'regulating costs and charges of courts, or fees, commissions or allowances of public officers' to specific counties and not all the counties in the state. But fines and fees imposed on people by courts differ depending on the county because local officials convince state lawmakers to sponsor legislation to impose additional costs that fund different programs within those counties. 'Our Legislature is very clever to figure out that if they have a local act with statewide constitutional implications, then they could trump that statewide constitutional Act 96,' Stewart said. 'That is how they are all presented now, something that the state votes on as constitutional amendments, and that is how the local acts are continuing to get passed.' An increasing number of bills get enacted that increase the filing fees which then pose problems for people who require access to the criminal justice system. 'You have got the filing fees that are collected upfront with civil filings,' Stewart said. 'We have some places in which that number is so high right now that it is really becoming an access to justice issue for people who can afford to file something with that particular county.' Collecting payments on civil filings is easier because they are imposed on the front end, before individuals may access court. A larger problem is collecting payments for criminal cases when the court orders fines and fees, as well as restitution payments shortly after a case has been adjudicated. Brenda Ganey, the clerk of courts for Baldwin County, estimated that courts collect about 22% of the fines and fees that courts impose on defendants after they violate the law. 'To me, the low hanging fruit in all this is, how do we increase the 22% of collections, because that is money sitting there right now that, no matter what you change, no matter what you make uniform across the board, we are leaving 78% of potential money,' said Rep. Chris Blackshear, R-Smiths Station, vice chair of the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee and who attended the meeting. J. Langford Floyd, a former judge who helped Stewart with the research, said that would be 'blood out of a turnip.' 'Usually your criminal defendants are your lower income to no income people,' he said. 'They are also the 20,000 that are sitting in the state penitentiary that have no way to pay it, and don't really care about paying as long as they are in the state penitentiary.' 'If there could be some incentive for the defendant to pay what they owe, then that would make collection easier,' said Robert E. Wilters, the vice president of the Alabama District Attorneys Association. Legislators such as Blackshear and Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, said that additional revenue options, such as raising taxes, were not an option they would consider. 'Why is it so difficult to do what is right,' Blackshear said. 'And that is to not break the law. Don't do the crime. That is the simple solution.' The group will meet again during the summer to further discuss ideas. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
