Judge Overturns Confederate Monuments Law
A Jefferson County circuit judge struck down a state law to preserve historical markers, saying the state violated the U.S. Constitution. The ruling comes after the state sued Birmingham for covering a Confederate monument and fined the city for violating the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act.
Judge Mike Graffeo says the state cannot force Birmingham to maintain a Confederate monument with a law passed by the state Legislature in 2017.
Lawyers for Birmingham argued the monument offended most residents.
David Dinielli of the Southern Poverty Law Center says cities express their values through their monuments, and says demographics were a factor in the ruling.
“The majority of the legislature, which is white, was issuing a rule that governed and limited the ability of Birmingham, which is a majority black city, to govern itself and make its own decisions,” Dinielli says.
The ruling may impact similar cases in other parts of the country, he says.
“To our knowledge, this is the first time that a court has held that one of these monument preservation laws violates the U.S. Constitution,” Dinielli says.
Alabama State Attorney General Steve Marshall sued Birmingham the day after it covered the monument in Linn Park. He says he will appeal the ruling.
Crew of fatal US military crash included Alabama father recently deployed
The six U.S. service members who died in the crash of a U.S. military refueling aircraft included an Alabama father who had just been promoted and deployed. The U.S. government released the identities of the deceased service members Saturday.
Alabama poised to drastically overhaul utility regulation. Will it lower electric bills?
The Alabama Senate unanimously voted to expand the public service commission, and create a Secretary of Energy to address rising electricity prices. A bill in the House would go even further, requiring rate case hearings and limiting utility profits.
Musher from Alabama is going for back-to-back Iditarod wins
Riches and paid appearances haven’t followed Jessie Holmes since he won the world’s most famous sled dog race, the Iditarod, last year. He doesn't mind.
Bill would move Alabama to closed primaries
Right now, any Alabama voter can participate in a primary election. Lawmakers in Montgomery took up a bill this week that would change that system.
Auburn football player uses NIL funds to open a community hub in Birmingham
Jourdin Crawford, a freshman defensive lineman at Auburn, used earnings from a Name, Image, and Likeness deal to give back to his hometown.
Ivey commutes death sentence of inmate whose accomplice fired fatal shot
Charles “Sonny” Burton was sentenced to death for the killing of Doug Battle during a 1991 robbery. However, another man shot Battle when Burton had left the building.
