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☆ Federal judge blasts threat by Alabama to prosecute groups aiding out-of-state abortions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( John Fritze | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The suits were brought not by women seeking an out-of-state abortion but rather by groups that intend to help them. Collectively, he wrote, the groups receive as many as 95 inquiries each week asking about the availability of out-of-state abortions. Even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe in 2022, abortion rights groups warned that some states might attempt to limit out-of-state travel for the procedure. “This is the world Dobbs created – one of intense interstate conflict.”The Supreme Court’s majority opinion in Dobbs didn’t deal with out-of-state travel. “For example, may a state bar a resident of that State from traveling to another state to obtain an abortion?

Persons: Roe, Wade, Steve Marshall, Myron Thompson, ” Thompson, Thompson, Jimmy Carter, ” Thomson, ”, Marshall, “, Temple University Beasley School of Law Dean Rachel Rebouché, Dobbs, Brett Kavanaugh, ” Kavanaugh, Alison Mollman Organizations: CNN, Republican, Fund, Alabama, Jackson, Health Organization, Temple University Beasley School of Law, and Drug Administration, American Civil Liberties Union Locations: Alabama, California, Dobbs v, United States . Alabama

☆ Alabama IVF ruling: Here’s what could happen next
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Lauren Mascarenhas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

At least three providers in Alabama, including the state’s largest health system, have halted some in vitro fertilization services since the court’s ruling. Republicans hold a majority in both the Alabama House and Senate. “Any legislation that gets passed is ultimately up to interpretation by the Alabama Supreme Court,” O’Conner said. A trial court initially dismissed the claims, but the state Supreme Court ruling reversed that decision. The clinic involved in the lawsuit, The Center for Reproductive Medicine in Mobile, is among those that have halted some IVF services.

Persons: Steve Marshall, Katie O’Connor, ” O’Conner, Anthony Daniels, Kay Ivey’s, Daniels, Bill, Republican Terri Collins, Tim Melson, “ I’m, ”, Democratic Sen, Tammy Duckworth, Savannah Koplon, Butch Dill, ” Dr, Janet McLaren Bouknight, Katherine Kraschel, “, ” Kraschel, Greg Abbott, Trump, ” Abbott, CNN’s Dana, Abbott, Richard Drew, ” O’Connor, Sen, Erin Grall, Kraschel, Trip Smalley, Smalley Organizations: CNN, Republican, National Women’s Law, Alabama, Democratic, Alabama House, Gov, Alabama Republicans, Senate, Republicans, Alabama Supreme, University of Alabama, Alabama Legislature, The University of Alabama, Birmingham, Infant Center, Alabama Fertility Specialists, Facebook, “, Alabama Fertility, Northeastern University School of Law, Texas Gov, Union, AP Lawmakers, Tampa Bay Times, Center, Reproductive Medicine Locations: Alabama, Montgomery, state’s, House, Birmingham, Birmingham , Alabama, Texas, “ State, Florida, Republican Florida, Mobile, ”

☆ Explosive Detonates Outside Alabama Attorney General’s Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | More About Livia Albeck-Ripka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

An explosive device was detonated early Saturday outside the Alabama attorney general’s office in downtown Montgomery, Steve Marshall, the attorney general, said in a statement on Monday. The explosion, which Mr. Marshall said had not injured anyone, was set off one day after he announced that he did not plan to prosecute I.V.F. providers or families seeking treatment after a recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are legally considered children. The statement did not say whether the explosion had caused any damage, whether the motive for the act was known or whether there were any suspects. “The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency will be leading the investigation, and we are urging anyone with information to contact them immediately,” Mr. Marshall said in the statement.

Persons: Steve Marshall, Marshall, “, ” Mr Organizations: Agency Locations: Alabama, Montgomery

☆ Breaking news template (locked)
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Amy Simonson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —An explosive device was detonated outside the office of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall in the early morning hours of Saturday, he said in a Monday statement. “In the early hours of Saturday, February 24, an explosive device was detonated outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office building in Montgomery,” Marshall said in the statement. “Thankfully, no staff or personnel were injured by the explosion. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency will be leading the investigation, and we are urging anyone with information to contact them immediately.”The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency did not have a comment when CNN reached out for an update on the investigation. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Persons: Steve Marshall, “, ” Marshall, Marshall’s, Amanda Priest Organizations: CNN, Alabama, General’s, Agency Locations: Alabama, Montgomery

☆ Alabama ruled frozen embryos are children. Here’s what it could mean for embryos frozen across the state
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Rumbley, 44, says she has three embryos frozen at a local fertility clinic. The process left three frozen embryos unused. Here’s what we know so far about the possible future of the frozen embryos currently stored in Alabama. Ruling leaves frozen embryos in ‘cryogenic limbo’When Alabama’s top court ruled frozen embryos are legally children and people can be held liable for their destruction, it complicated the options available to families. But the court ruling has left those frozen embryos in “cryogenic limbo.”“It’s gonna be someone’s problem long after I’m gone,” he said.

Persons: Kristia, Dustin Chambers, Andrew Harper, ” Eve Feinberg, Feinberg, Rumbley, ” Rumbley, aren’t, ”, “, Ben Birchall, Seema Mohapatra, CNN “, Mohapatra, hasn’t, ” Lauren Bowerman, CryoFuture –, Steve Marshall’s, Harper, I’m, Bowerman Organizations: CNN, Alabama Supreme, Life Sciences, Reuters, Huntsville Reproductive, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, SMU Dedman School of Law, University of Alabama, Seattle Sperm Bank, Medical Association of, of Locations: Birmingham, Alabama, United States, Birmingham , Alabama, Huntsville, Madison , Alabama, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Seattle, of Alabama, Madison, Minnesota

☆ Texas IVF law: Gov. Abbott says he supports IVF in aftermath of Alabama Supreme Court ruling
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Chris Boyette | Lauren Mascarenhas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —As Alabama grapples with the fallout of a state Supreme Court decision that has widely halted access to in vitro fertilization, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday voiced support for IVF – though he stopped short of calling for a law to protect access in Texas. Abbott said he wants to ensure some people will have access to IVF, invoking former President Donald Trump’s stance on the issue. The turmoil caused by the Alabama Supreme Court decision has extended beyond the state’s borders, with some families fleeing to other states, including Texas, where access to IVF services remains in place. Abbott said that he thought Texas would eventually address the issue, but that he wants to keep Texas a “pro-life state.”“Texas is a pro-life state, and we want to do everything possible that we can to maintain Texas being a pro-life state.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Abbott, Donald Trump’s, Trump, ” Abbott, CNN’s Dana, ”, Steve Marshall, Anthony Daniels, Bash Organizations: CNN, Alabama, Texas Gov, Alabama Supreme, Union, Democratic Alabama, Republican Locations: Texas, “ State, Alabama, ” “ Texas

☆ Republicans are panicking about IVF treatment being restricted in Alabama
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The former president's statement came as Republicans try to distance themselves from an Alabama ruling. The Alabama Supreme Court controversially found that frozen embryos are children. AdvertisementFormer President Donald Trump on Friday broke his silence on a controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling that has threatened the future of access to in vitro fertilization. Trump's comments come after the White House and Democrats have torn into Republicans over the Alabama ruling. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's office said that he "has no intention of using the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision as a basis for prosecuting IVF families or providers."

Persons: Trump, —, Donald Trump, Roe, Wade, Joe Biden's, Kellyanne Conway, NRSC, Jason Thielman, kZR5LqRt5p — Lauren Fox, Zev Williams, Kevin Stitt, Stitt, Politico, Jay Mitchell, Mitchell, Steve Marshall's, Kay Ivey Organizations: Alabama Supreme, Service, White House, Democrats, The New York Times, Senate Republican, Republican, Trump White House, National Republican, CNN, Pew Research Center, Columbia University Fertility Center, Oklahoma Gov, GOP, US, Alabama Republicans, Alabama Locations: Alabama, America, Oklahoma

ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's first-ever use of nitrogen gas for an execution could gain traction among other states and change how the death penalty is carried out in the United States, much like lethal injection did more than 40 years ago, according to experts on capital punishment. Oklahoma and Mississippi already have laws authorizing the use of nitrogen gas for executions, and some other states, including Nebraska, have introduced measures this year to add it as an option. “This is a chapter in a long-running story in the United States,” Sarat said. A majority of states, 29, have either abolished the death penalty or paused executions, and there were just 24 executions carried out in five U.S. states in 2023, according to Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center. “More states have abolished the death penalty since 2007 than in any other comparable 17-year period in American history,” Sarat noted.

Persons: — Alabama's, Steve Marshall, Kenneth Eugene Smith, ” Marshall, ”, Steven Harpe, Smith, gurney, John Q, Hamm, ” Hamm, Harpe, Justin Farris, ” Farris, “, Austin Sarat, ” Sarat, Clayton Lockett, Lockett, ” Ryan Kiesel, ” Kiesel, ” ___ Murphy Organizations: Alabama, Amherst College, Washington , D.C, American Civil Liberties Union Locations: Ala, United States, “ Alabama, Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Nebraska, Europe, U.S, Washington ,, Oklahoma City

☆ Alabama Hails Nitrogen Gas Execution, a New Attempt to Address an Old Challenge
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Shaila Dewan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For as long as America has had the death penalty, there have been questions about how best to carry it out. The execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith in Alabama on Thursday, the first American execution in which death was caused by suffocation with nitrogen gas, gave no indication of settling the legal, moral and technical questions that have long bedeviled states as they mete out the ultimate punishment. Most recently, problems with the purchasing, administration and effects of lethal injection drugs have sent states scrambling for alternatives ranging from the old — firing squads, electric chairs and gas chambers — to the untested, like Alabama’s use of a mask to force Mr. Smith to inhale nitrogen instead of air. But after Mr. Smith’s death, the Alabama attorney general, Steve Marshall, hailed the execution as a “historic” breakthrough. He criticized opponents of the death penalty for pressuring “anyone assisting states in the process.”“They don’t care that Alabama’s new method is humane and effective, because they know it is also easy to carry out,” he said in a statement.

Persons: Kenneth Eugene Smith, Mr, Smith, Smith’s, Steve Marshall, “, ” Locations: America, Alabama

☆ Alabama execution using nitrogen gas, the first ever, again puts U.S. at front of death penalty debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

It marked the first time a new execution method was used in the U.S. since 1982, when lethal injection was introduced and later became the most common method. The state had predicted the nitrogen gas would cause unconsciousness within seconds and death within minutes. After he had a chance to make a final statement, the warden, from another room, was to activate the nitrogen gas. And experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council cautioned they believe the execution method could violate the prohibition on torture. Smith's attorneys had raised concerns that he could choke to death on his own vomit as the nitrogen gas flows.

Persons: Abraham Bonowitz, Kenneth Smith, Kenneth Eugene Smith, Smith, gurney, Kay Ivey, Elizabeth Sennett, Ivey, Elizabeth Sennett's, Mike Sennett, Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Steve Marshall, John Q, Hamm, Jeff Hood, Hood, Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, he's, Sennett, John Forrest Parker, Charles Sennett Organizations: Holman Correctional, Alabama Gov, European Union, Human, EU, U.S, Supreme, State, Justice, Catholic, Prosecutors Locations: Columbus , Ohio, Holman, Atmore , Alabama, U.S, Alabama, United States, Geneva, gurney, Hamm, Vatican, Rome, Mississippi, Oklahoma

The execution will be the first attempt to use a new execution method since the 1982 introduction of lethal injection, now the most common execution method in the United States. After he is given a chance to make a final statement, the warden, from another room, will activate the nitrogen gas. Three states — Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma — have authorized nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method, but no state has attempted to use the untested method until now. They stabbed her — multiple times.”The state has predicted the nitrogen gas will cause unconsciousness within seconds and death within minutes. Much of what is known about death by nitrogen gas comes from industrial accidents or suicide attempts.

Persons: Kenneth Eugene Smith, Smith, “, ”, Jeff Hood, Elizabeth Sennett, Sennett, gurney, Steve Marshall, Liz Sennett, Smith’s, ” Marshall, Charles Sennett Jr, Smith “, Mama, Robin M, Maher, Philip Nitschke, Nitschke, ” Nitschke, Robert Grass, Charles Sennett, John Forrest Parker Organizations: United States, Supreme, U.S, Prosecutors, WAAY, Circuit, Alabama, Associated Press, Veterinary Medical Association, United Nations Human Rights Locations: MONTGOMERY, Ala, Alabama, United, United States, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Colbert County

☆ Kenneth Eugene Smith execution: Alabama set to carry out first execution by nitrogen gas
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Dakin Andone | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Alabama is poised to carry out the first known execution using nitrogen gas Thursday to put Kenneth Smith to death for his role in a 1988 murder for hire. The state, in court records, indicated the redactions were made to maintain security. Smith’s team again Thursday morning appealed to the US Supreme Court and requested a stay of execution. “But the way that they’re constructing this, the way that they’re doing it, the way that they’re being silent, the way that they’re holding back information, yes, it’s incredibly concerning. Smith was convicted and sentenced to die, but an appeals court overturned the initial outcome and ordered a new trial.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, Smith’s, Steve Marshall, ”, “, Smith –, Jeff Hood, ” Hood, ” Smith’s, Elizabeth Sennett, Charles, Charles Sennett, Sennett, CNN’s Isabel Rosales, Devan Cole, Chris Youd, Olivia LaBorde Organizations: CNN, US, Supreme, Wednesday, ” Locations: Alabama

Alabama on Thursday is expected to perform the first execution in the U.S. with nitrogen gas, barring any last-minute intervention from courts or the state. I remain confident that the Supreme Court will come down on the side of justice, and that Smith’s execution will be carried out tomorrow,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said on social media on Wednesday. What Is a Nitrogen Gas Execution? The execution involves a mask that will be strapped to Smith’s face and deliver nitrogen gas. Alabama is one of three states where nitrogen hypoxia is an authorized execution method, but it’s the first to attempt to use it.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, Smith’s, Steve Marshall, Kenneth Eugene Smith, Ravina Shamdasani, Elizabeth Sennett, Charles Sennett Organizations: U.S, Supreme, United Nations, Records Locations: Alabama, U.S, United States, America

The Justice Department filed a statement of interest in consolidated lawsuits against Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall seeking to block him from using conspiracy statutes to prosecute people who help Alabama women travel to obtain an abortion. Alabama bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape and incest. The Justice Department argued in the filing that the U.S. Constitution protects the right to travel. The two Alabama lawsuits seek a ruling clarifying that people and groups can provide assistance to women leaving the state for an abortion. In a July statement issued when the lawsuits were filed, his office said it would enforce the state's abortion ban.

Persons: Steve Marshall, Marshall, Dobbs, General Merrick B, Garland, ” Organizations: U.S . Department of Justice, Justice Department, Alabama, U.S, Supreme, Constitution, Yellowhammer Locations: MONTGOMERY, Ala, Alabama, U.S, Texas

☆ Alabama sets date for first-ever US execution of death row inmate by nitrogen gas in 2024, governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Devon M. Sayers | Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Alabama has scheduled the nation’s first execution by nitrogen hypoxia, an alternative to lethal injection, its Republican governor said. He asked the state to be put to death by nitrogen gas rather than lethal injection after what he called a botched execution. Smith’s execution now is set to take place between January 25 and 26, according to a news release from Gov. The court’s action came after the justices divided 6-3 earlier in the term to allow Smith’s execution to go forward by lethal injection. Smith’s case was tried by a jury twice, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has noted, both of which resulted in convictions.

Persons: Kenneth Eugene Smith’s, Kay Ivey, nodded, ”, Steve Marshall, Patrick Semansky, Smith, –, Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett, Sennett’s, Smith’s, CNN’s Jamiel Lynch, Ariane De Vogue, Dakin Andone Organizations: CNN, Alabama, Republican, Gov, Court Locations: Alabama, Washington

The decision on Tuesday sets the stage for a new map with greater representation for Black voters to be put in place for the 2024 elections. The ruling marks a victory for Black voters in the state who had challenged the existing districts as racially discriminatory. WHAT HAPPENEDJustices denied Alabama's emergency request to keep Republican-drawn congressional lines in place and stop a three-judge panel from drawing new lines as the state appeals. WHAT IS THE REACTIONThe decision was a victory years in the making for Black voters and advocacy groups that had filed lawsuits challenging the Alabama districts. A WINDING PATHThe winding legal saga in Alabama began when groups of Black voters challenged Alabama’s congressional map as racially discriminatory.

Persons: —, Steve Marshall, Barry Moore, Deuel Ross, Alabama's, Plaintiffs, George Wallace's, “, Black, Marshall, ” Marshall, Ross, Kareem Crayton, ” Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Black, Republican, Alabama, Republican Rep, GOP, NAACP Legal, Fund, Gov, Brennan Center for Justice Locations: MONTGOMERY, Ala, Alabama, Black, Louisiana , Georgia, Florida, Louisiana

Alabama Judicial Building, where the state supreme court meets, is seen in Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Aluka Berry/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 22 (Reuters) - The Supreme Court of Alabama is weighing whether to allow the state to become the first to execute a prisoner with a novel method: asphyxiation using nitrogen gas. Smith's lawyers have said the untested protocol may violate the U.S. Constitution's ban on "cruel and unusual punishments." They are due to file their opposition to the attorney general's death warrant application with the court on Friday. Oklahoma and Mississippi have also approved nitrogen asphyxiation executions, but are yet to try the method.

Persons: Chris Aluka Berry, Steve Marshall, Kenneth Smith, Smith, Alabama's, gurney, Joel Zivot, Zivot, Jonathan Allen, Timothy Gardner Organizations: Alabama Judicial, REUTERS, Alabama, Alabama Department of Corrections, Emory School of Medicine, Thomson Locations: Alabama, Montgomery , Alabama, U.S, Oklahoma, Mississippi, New York

☆ Supreme Court's Alabama map ruling defied predictions as Roberts and Kavanaugh teamed up to protect Voting Rights Act
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Ambivalent during early internal debate, Kavanaugh eventually gave Roberts enough confidence that he could write an opinion for a majority. The state’s approach would have wholly undercut the history and purpose of the landmark Voting Rights Act, passed at the height of the Civil Rights movement to try to end race discrimination. Senior conservative Thomas, who has been unyielding in his rejection of race-based practices, was ready to write a far-reaching opinion against the court’s Voting Rights Act precedent for redistricting. Meanwhile, Kavanaugh and Roberts came together, ensuring the chief a five-justice majority for the robust endorsement of Voting Rights Act remedies when states discriminate in redistricting. The Alabama redistricting case shook out differently as Kavanaugh signed a significant portion of Roberts’ opinion.

Persons: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Roberts, Kavanaugh, –, Steve Marshall, Edmund LaCour, ”, Donald Trump, Ramos, Atticus Finch, “, Bill Clinton, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, General LaCour, Holder, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Thomas ’, Barrett, George H.W, Roe, Wade, Dobbs, ” Roberts, General Marshall, LaCour, — Organizations: CNN, Alabama, Republican, Supreme, Blacks, Democratic, Notre Dame, Black, Trump, Black Democrats, ”, Civil, Senior, Jackson, Health Organization, Harvard, University of North Locations: Alabama, Black, Minnesota, . Louisiana, . Mississippi, ” Alabama, Shelby County, Bush, Mississippi, University of North Carolina, ”

At issue was whether the Republican-drawn map violated a bedrock federal civil rights law, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. "We have now said twice that this Voting Rights Act case is not close," the judges wrote. Alabama's Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen in filings submitted to the lower court disclosed plans to appeal to the Supreme Court and the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. The Supreme Court in June allowed a challenge to Louisiana's congressional map to advance. The Voting Rights Act was passed at a time when Southern states including Alabama enforced policies blocking Black people from casting ballots.

Persons: Terri Sewell, Michael A, McCoy, Steve Marshall, Wes Allen, Ron DeSantis, Joseph Ax, John Kruzel, Colleen Jenkins, Bill Berkrot, Will Dunham Organizations: Republican, U.S, Supreme, Democratic, U.S . House, Democratic U.S, Selma Fire, REUTERS, Circuit, Appeals, NAACP, Republicans, Thomson Locations: U.S, Alabama, Birmingham, Selma, Selma , Alabama, Atlanta, Florida, Black

Under the Republican map, only one of the state's seven congressional districts is majority Black, even though Black residents make up more than a quarter of the state's population. The office of Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, said the state would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The plaintiffs who challenged Alabama's map, including the state chapter of the NAACP, in a joint statement said: "Alabama openly admits its intention to defy the law and the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court also in June allowed a challenge to Louisiana's congressional map to advance. A federal court has ordered lawmakers to draw a second majority-Black district, and a U.S. appeals court is set to review the case next month.

Persons: Michael A, McCoy, Terri Sewell, Steve Marshall, Ron DeSantis, Joseph Ax, Colleen Jenkins, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Democratic, Selma Fire, REUTERS, Republican, Democratic U.S, U.S, Supreme, NAACP, Republicans, U.S . House, Representatives, Thomson Locations: Selma, Selma , Alabama, U.S, Birmingham, Alabama, Florida, Black

July 31 (Reuters) - Healthcare providers and an abortion rights group on Monday sued Alabama in an effort to block the state from criminally prosecuting people who help others travel out of state to get abortions. In a lawsuit filed in Montgomery, Alabama federal court, the West Alabama Women's Center, the Alabama Women's Center and its medical director Yashica Robinson said any such prosecutions would violate a basic right to travel between states under the U.S. Constitution. Alabama in 2019 passed the Human Life Protection Act, a law banning nearly all abortions. The healthcare providers said the threat of prosecution prevents them from advising patients about where they could travel to get abortions, and the Yellowhammer Fund said it had been forced to shut down its abortion funding in Alabama. "That includes abortion providers conspiring to violate the Act."

Persons: Yashica Robinson, Wade, Steve Marshall, Alabamans, Robin Marty, Marshall, Amanda Priest, Brendan Pierson, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Healthcare, Monday, Alabama, West Alabama Women's Center, Alabama Women's Center, U.S, U.S . Constitution, Yellowhammer, Supreme, Yellowhammer Fund, West Alabama Women's, Thomson Locations: Montgomery , Alabama, U.S ., Alabama, Roe, New York

☆ 19 Republican states accuse JPMorgan of closing bank accounts and discriminating against customers due to their religious or political beliefs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

19 Republican states accused JPMorgan of closing bank accounts on political or religious grounds. Republican attorneys general from 19 states have accused JPMorgan Chase of closing accounts and discriminating against customers due to their political or religious beliefs, a report says. Further, the letter claimed JPMorgan asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to ignore a proposal for the bank to disclose its policy for closing accounts. A JPMorgan representative told The Journal: "We have never and would never exit a client relationship due to their political or religious affiliation." A spokesperson for JPMorgan said: "We do not close accounts due to religious or political affiliations, and did not in these cases."

☆ Alabama's attorney general threatened to prosecute people seeking abortion pills. A day later, he walked it back.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said he'd prosecute people who take abortion pills. A day later, Marshall walked back his remarks and said only abortion providers would be prosecuted. Prosecuting people for taking abortion pills would not have been legal in the state of Alabama, civil-rights experts told Insider. The FDA authorized brick-and-mortar pharmacies across the country to pursue certification to carry abortion pills, a move that could expand abortion access nationwide. Kay Ivey in 2019, specifically says abortion providers can be held criminally liable, but people who get abortions cannot be.

☆ Alabama pauses executions after third failed lethal injection attempt
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Kay Ivey sought a pause in executions and ordered a “top-to-bottom” review of the state’s capital punishment system Monday after an unprecedented third failed lethal injection. Ivey also requested that Marshall not seek additional execution dates for any other death row inmates until the review is complete. In September, the state called off the scheduled execution of Alan Eugene Miller because of difficulty accessing his veins. Alabama in 2018 called off the execution of Doyle Hamm because of problems getting the intravenous line connected. Alabama should have imposed an execution moratorium after Hamm’s failed execution for the benefit of everyone, said Bernard Harcourt, an attorney who represented Hamm for years.

The eventual ruling could cripple the Voting Rights Act, whose passage was fueled by historic marches for Black voting rights and the violent response by local authorities in Alabama from Selma to Montgomery. Democratic President Joe Biden's administration and a number of voting rights groups are supporting the plaintiffs. The case centers on a Voting Rights Act provision, called Section 2, aimed at countering voting laws that result in racial bias even absent racist intent. Conservative states and groups already have successfully prodded the Supreme Court to limit the Voting Rights Act's scope. In a major 2019 ruling, the Supreme Court barred federal judges from curbing the practice, known as partisan gerrymandering.

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