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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Senate voted Wednesday to put a politically appointed board in control of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, a change proposed after some lawmakers were upset about the department hosting a lecture on LGBTQ+ history. State senators also approved legislation that would allow local government officials to dismiss library board members they appointed if they become displeased with their performance. He said the change would ensure board members are responsive to elected officials. Board members are selected by a vote of the trustees and confirmed by the Alabama Senate. Elliott said existing state law gives city councils the ability to appoint library board members but currently gives no mechanism for removal.

Persons: Sen, Chris Elliott, ” Elliott, “, Bobby Singleton, Elliott, ”, ” Singleton, Fred Gray, Rosa Parks Organizations: The Alabama, Alabama Department of Archives, Alabama, Representatives, Alabama Senate Locations: MONTGOMERY, Ala, Rosa, Montgomery

As advocates push this year for ballot measure initiatives aiming to protect abortion rights, key differences have emerged in the language of proposed measures. Among them is the inclusion of mental health exceptions. Meanwhile, proposed ballot measure language in Arkansas only says “physical health,” excluding a mental health exception. “We don’t as a society have a great track record of treating mental health the same way we do physical health.”Policies that dismiss mental health as less important than physical health put lives at risk, said Columbia University psychiatrist Paul Appelbaum. We felt it was unlikely for a version that explicitly names mental health to pass.”Arkansas advocates were also worried the opposition campaign would target a mental health exception, Diaz said.

Persons: Kaniya Harris, Harris, don’t, “, ”, Roe, Wade, Michelle Oberman, ” Oberman, Paul Appelbaum, Appelbaum, ” Jayme Trevino, Mallory Schwarz, —, Gennie Diaz, ” Diaz, Diaz, Ingrid Duran, Duran Organizations: CHICAGO, Alabama, U.S, Supreme, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Santa Clara University, Columbia University, American Psychiatric Association, OB, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Republican, Associated Press, AP Locations: Bethesda , Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, Arizona, Michigan, Arkansas, Florida , Montana and Nebraska, — Florida, Georgia , Idaho , Iowa , Kentucky, Louisiana , Ohio , Tennessee, West Virginia, Wyoming, Alabama, ” Arkansas, Santa

Circuit Court of appeals denied the request for the case to go before the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a panel ruled 2-1 last year that only the U.S. attorney general can enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe 8th Circuit ruling applies only to federal courts covered by the district, which includes Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. “The decision by the Eighth Circuit to not revisit the case is a serious blow to the rights of Arkansas voters," Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, said in a statement. The Arkansas lawsuit challenges the state House redistricting plan, which was approved in 2021 by the all-Republican state Board of Apportionment.

Persons: weren't, ”, David Stras, Donald Trump, Holly Dickson, ’, Tim Griffin, “, Arkansans, Griffin, Steven Colloton, Colloton, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, ” Colloton, Lavenski Smith Organizations: —, U.S, Supreme, Circuit, The, Arkansas State Conference NAACP, Republicans, American Civil Liberties Union, Eighth Circuit, Black, Republican Locations: The Arkansas, Arkansas, Arkansas , Iowa, Minnesota , Missouri , Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Southern

For instance, the U.S. has blocked shipments of cotton coming from China, a top manufacturer of popular clothing brands, because it was produced by forced or prison labor. While prison labor seeps into the supply chains of some companies through third-party suppliers without them knowing, others buy direct. Cargill acknowledged buying goods from prison farms in Tennessee, Arkansas and Ohio, saying they constituted only a small fraction of the company’s overall volume. For instance, about a dozen state prison farms, including operations in Texas, Virginia, Kentucky and Montana, have sold more than $60 million worth of cattle since 2018. “What for?”FOLLOWING THE MONEYThe business of prison labor is so vast and convoluted that tracing the money can be challenging.

Persons: it’s, Willie Ingram, “ They’d, billy clubs, they’d, ”, Ingram, didn’t, they’re, don’t, Andrea Armstrong, Frank Dwayne Ellington, Ellington, Koch, “ It’s, it’s somebody’s, Alishia Powell, Clark, “, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus, Archer Daniels, Cargill, ” McDonald’s, Mills, ” Bunge, Burger, Jermaine Hudson, ” Hudson, Calvin Thomas, Thomas, Ken Pastorick, Pastorick, Jennifer Turner, Faye Jacobs, Jacobs, ’ ” David Farabough, they’ve, Joshua Sbicca, Cliff Johnson, Jimmy Dean, Sara Lee, Tyson, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, that’s, ” Ivey, “ They’re, ’ ”, William “ Buck ” Saunders, Hickman’s, Brooke Counts, Counts, John’s, Jack Strain, Tammany Parish, Russell Stover, Curtis Davis, Robert Bumsted, Cody Jackson, Columbia University’s Ira A, Lipman Organizations: Louisiana State Penitentiary, The Associated Press, Walmart, Cargill, U.S, Kroger, Target, Aldi, Corrections, Loyola University New Orleans, Koch Foods, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Washington, Archer Daniels Midland, Consolidated, AP, Foods, Dairy Farmers of, Big, Sam’s, Tyson Foods, U.S ., Civilian, OSHA, Fair Labor, American Civil Liberties, Colorado State University, MacArthur Justice Center, University of Mississippi, PepsiCo, Brevard County Sheriff, Arizona . Companies, Costco, Correctional, Prisons, Nut, Maine Foods, Taylor Farms, Transitional, Associated Press, Public Welfare Foundation, Columbia, Lipman Center for Journalism, Arnold Ventures Locations: ANGOLA, La, Southern, Louisiana, Texas, In Louisiana, Angola, United States, “, Ashland, U.S, China, Tennessee , Arkansas, Ohio, Dairy Farmers of America, Texas , Virginia, Kentucky, Montana, Baton Rouge, Mississippi, Manhattan, America, Alabama, American, Arkansas , Texas, Florida , Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, In Alabama, Florida, Brevard County, Arizona, Wisconsin, California, Colorado, state’s St, Tammany, Idaho, In Kansas, Cal, St, Francisville , Louisiana, Feliciana, Investigative@ap.org

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

☆ After a Botched Execution, Alabama Is Trying an Untested New Method
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs | More About Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Smith, who had been on death row for more than a quarter-century after being convicted of murdering a woman, recalled thanking God for his final week alive and thinking of his family. At the time, the state was using the same method of execution that has been used in the vast majority of modern U.S. executions: lethal injection. And like many other states, Alabama had problems. Now, more than a year later, Alabama is preparing once again this week to execute Mr. Smith, this time employing a method that has never been used in a U.S. execution: nitrogen hypoxia. Alabama is one of several states that are looking at alternatives, including nitrogen hypoxia, and some states have recently authorized the use of a firing squad.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, God, Smith’s Locations: gurney, Alabama, U.S, Europe

☆ Opinion | I Am Going to Miss Pitchfork, but That’s Only Half the Problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Ezra Klein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I’m gutted to see Condé Nast folding the online music magazine Pitchfork into GQ. I won’t try to improve on the eulogies written for the site already (Casey Newton and Eric Harvey have good ones). It’s one of the few corners of the internet I still love, no matter how often I find myself in disagreement. I’ve seen some thoughtful writing already on why Pitchfork couldn’t make it. In this case, they’re specific to Pitchfork’s editorial choices and market position.

Persons: Condé Nast, Casey Newton, Eric Harvey, HuffPost, FiveThirtyEight Organizations: Pitchfork, GQ, New York Times, Sports, BuzzFeed, Popular, U.S . News, Gawker, ABC News, Grid, ”, Vox Media, McClatchy, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, Dallas Morning News Locations: U.S

☆ Opinion: Bill Belichick and Nick Saban were the kind of coaches I tell my therapist about
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Opinion Jeff Pearlman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Under his leadership, Belichick took an organization that never sniffed a Super Bowl title and made it a regular occurrence. Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images Belichick, right, coaches alongside New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells during a playoff game in 1984. Jim Rogash/Getty Images Belichick watches from the sideline as his team plays the Seattle Seahawks in the 2015 Super Bowl. Tom Pennington/Getty Images Belichick presents President Donald Trump with an official Super Bowl helmet at the White House in 2017. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Belichick leaves the field after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in December 2023.

Persons: Jeff Pearlman, Jim Fregosi, Paul Olkowski, Fregosi, “ Skip, “ John, ”, “, ” Fregosi, Bill Belichick, Nick Saban, Alabama’s, Belichick, Saban, Tom, Randy Moss, Bear Bryant, Vince Lombardi, Jeff Haynes, Bill Parcells, Parcells, Arthur Anderson, Ralph Waclawicz, George Gojkovich, Anthony Pleasant, Wayne Scarberry, Al Pereira, Robert Kraft, Kraft, Al Messerschmidt, Kevin Terrell, Tom Brady, Damian Strohmeyer, Karen Warren, Steve, David J, Phillip, Jay Leno, Paul Drinkwater, videotaping, Roger Goodell, Matthew West, Peyton Manning, Reed, Jim Rogash, Christian Petersen, Brady, Tom Pennington, Donald Trump, Samuel Corum, Kevin C, Cox, Maddie Meyer, Steven Senne, —, Deion Sanders, Dan Campbell, he’s, Mike Ditka, George Allen, Steve Rushin, Doug Rader, Lou Piniella, it’s Organizations: CNN, Sports, Toronto Blue Jays, Sports Illustrated, Super, New England Patriots, Tide, Bama, Super Bowl, Getty, New York Giants, Parcells, ESPN, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Jets, NFL Hall of Fame, Patriots, St, Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Chronicle, Philadelphia Eagles, NBCU, Bank, NFL, MediaNews, Boston Herald, Indianapolis Colts, Reed Saxon, Giants, Belichick, AFC, Seattle Seahawks, White House, Atlanta Falcons, Anadolu Agency, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, The Patriots, Twitter, University of Colorado, Detroit Lions, Schlitz, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, California Angels, Seattle Mariners Locations: Tuscaloosa , Alabama, AFP, Baltimore, Hawaii, Boulder, California, Swiss, ”

That sort of approach resonated in conservative strongholds like Alabama long before Trump. Alabama Democrats, especially, cite deep historical roots involving racism, class and urban-rural divides when explaining Wallace, Trump and the decades between them. Moderate to progressive “national Democrats” were concentrated in north Alabama, Baxley explained, while reactionary “states-rights Dixiecrats” cohered in south Alabama. Wallace won four Deep South states as an independent in 1968. Wallace won his fourth term as governor in 1982 after disavowing segregation and winning over enough Black voters.

Persons: George Wallace, Wallace, Donald Trump, Trump, “ Alabamians, ”, Terry Lathan, ” Trump, Barack Obama, Brent Buchanan, Wayne Flynt, “, Lathan, Ron DeSantis, Reagan, Trump's, ” Wallace, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Baxley, Baxley, Lincoln ”, ” Baxley, Franklin Roosevelt’s, “ Wallace, Johnson, Barry Goldwater, Flynt, Alabama “, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Wallace’s, Jimmy Carter, Carter, Alabama's, Democratic pollster Zac McCrary, Hillary Clinton’s, Joe Biden’s, ” McCrary, Sen, Richard Shelby's, Shelby, Newt Gingrich, Dan Carter, Jeff Sessions, Trump’s, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Tommy Tuberville, Katie Britt, dealmaker, Britt, Buchanan, Republican pollster, Donald Trump’s, Kim Chandler Organizations: ATLANTA, — Republican, University of Alabama, Civil Rights Movement, Republicans, Party of Lincoln, Party of Trump, Trump, America, GOP, Alabama Republicans, Democratic, Alabama Democrats, “ Party, Democrats ”, Politics, National Democrats, Franklin Roosevelt’s New, Civil, Act, Republican, Reconstruction, Klux Klan, Birmingham's, Baptist Church, Washington, Democrat, “, Democrats, U.S, Senate, Sessions, Alabama, Alabama Legislature, Southern Democrats, Capitol, Shelby, Associated Press Locations: Tuscaloosa, Washington, Alabama, lockstep, Florida, Southern, U.S, Texas, New York, Trump, Jan, Montgomery , Alabama

☆ Why Florida State was left out of the College Football Playoff and why it’s so controversial
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Sunday’s announcement of the four teams selected for the College Football Playoff sent shockwaves through the sport. Instead of folding, Florida State rallied, coming from behind on the road to defeat Florida in Gainesville with backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker. With the selection, the Crimson Tide will make its eighth appearance in the College Football Playoff, the most of any team. Speaking on ESPN on Sunday, College Football Playoff committee chair Boo Corrigan explained why FSU was left out of the top four. It renders the season up to yesterday irrelevant and significantly damages the legitimacy of the College Football Playoff.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Michael Alford, Jordan Travis, Tate Rodemaker, Brock Glenn, Boo Corrigan, Corrigan, “, ” Jordan Travis, Colin Hackley, Cari, Poppy Harlow, Phil Mattingly, Jordan, Travis, wouldn’t, Nick Saban, Mike, Norvell, I’d, Dan Wolken, –, ” Alford, Alford, ” Norvell, Mike Norvell, Charles LeClaire, Jaylan Ford, ” Ford, They’re, They’ve Organizations: CNN, College Football, Michigan Wolverines, Washington Huskies, Texas Longhorns, Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida State Seminoles, Florida State University, FSU, Florida State, Seminoles, North Alabama, Atlantic Coast Conference, Louisville, Cardinals, Alabama, Crimson Tide, ESPN, Sunday, ” The College, Georgia Bulldogs, Orange Bowl, SEC, USA, LSU, Florida, “, Tide, ”, Twitter, Power, BCS, Pittsburgh Panthers, Reuters, Rose Bowl, Washington, Caesars Locations: Florida, Gainesville, Grapevine , Texas, Alabama . Alabama, –, Alabama, Michigan, Texas, ”, Pasadena , California, New Orleans

The revamped Congressional District 2, which was designed to boost the voting power of Black residents, has a voting-age population that is 48.7% Black, giving the district a decidedly Democratic tilt. State Republicans, however, say they are not ceding the seat without a fight. A federal judge ordered Georgia to draw an additional Black-majority congressional district, although the state plans to appeal. The Alabama district is an open seat in the 2024 election after the current representative, Republican Rep. Barry Moore, was drawn out of the district. Moore has decided to challenge Republican Rep. Jerry Carl in Congressional District 1.

Persons: —, Zac McCrary, Viet Shelton, Shelton, John Wahl, Wahl, ” Wahl, Barry Moore, Moore, Jerry Carl, Marine James Averhart, Napoleon Bracy, Jr, Sen, Merika Coleman, Anthony Daniels, Vivian, Brian Gary, Juandalynn, Jeremy Gray, Phyllis Harvey, Willie J, Lenard, Vimal Patel, Larry Darnell Simpson, Darryl Sinkfield, Greg Albritton, Dick Brewbaker, Caroleene Dobson, Karla M, Wallace Gilberry, Hampton Harris, Stacey T, Belinda Thomas Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Representatives, Republicans, Alabama, U.S . House, Congressional, Democratic Congressional, Committee, Democrats, Associated Press, State Republicans, Alabama Republican, Democratic Party, Republican Rep, Marine, Hall, Alabama Education Association, NFL, University of Alabama, Newton City Locations: Ala, Alabama, Georgia , Louisiana, Viet, ”, Florida, Georgia, Prichard, Pleasant Grove, Huntsville, Birmingham, Opelika, Newton

☆ These are the House Republicans running for speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Jack Forrest | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The high-stakes race for House speaker enters a new phase this week, with a slate of new candidates vying for the gavel following Rep. Jim Jordan’s exit from the race. The former National Republican Congressional Committee chairman was first elected to Congress in 2014 and became majority whip earlier this year. Bergman is a member of the House Armed Services Committee where he chairs the Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee. Scott, who represents Georgia’s 8th Congressional District, serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Armed Services Committee and the House Agriculture Committee. Johnson sits on the House Judiciary Committee, Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government and on the House Armed Services Committee.

Persons: Jim Jordan’s, Kevin McCarthy, Tom Emmer Emmer, ” McCarthy, “ He’s, Tom, ”, ” Emmer, Donald Trump, Emmer, Kevin Hern The, Hern, McCarthy, Jack Bergman Bergman, –, Bergman, Austin Scott The, Austin Scott The Georgia Republican –, Scott, Byron Donalds The, ” Donalds, Francis Rooney, Donalds, Mike Johnson The, ” Johnson, Johnson, Pete Sessions, Colin Allred, Sessions, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Ukraine –, Dan Meuser, Elise Stefanik, Meuser, Tom Corbett, Gary Palmer Palmer, Palmer, Steve Scalise Organizations: CNN, Republicans, GOP, Minnesota Republican, Press, Caucus, National Republican, Minnesota, Financial Services, Rep, Kevin Hern The Oklahoma Republican, Republican, Committee, McDonalds, Small Business, US Marines, Michigan’s, House Armed, Austin Scott The Georgia Republican, Jordan, California Republican, University of Georgia, Congressional, Intelligence, House Armed Services Committee, Agriculture, Byron Donalds The Florida Republican, Freedom Caucus, GOP Rep, Florida’s, Florida State University, Mike Johnson The Louisiana Republican, House Republican, House GOP, Federal Government, Pete Sessions Sessions, Texas, ”, Sessions, Trump, Pennsylvania Republican, Gov, Alabama’s, Energy, Commerce Locations: Michigan, Austin Scott The Georgia, Ohio, California, Georgia, Florida, Mike Johnson The Louisiana, House, Dallas, Waco , Texas, Ukraine, Pennsylvania, Alabama

☆ Analysis: The affirmative action battle shifts to a new front
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The lawsuits against the US Navy and West Point suggest that opponents of affirmative action are serious about eliminating any policy of diversity based on race. It’s not surprising that the US Armed Forces have drawn criticism from affirmative action foes. As the country heads into the presidential election year, more lawsuits invoking the Voting Rights Act are expected to follow. Many Black workers historically used auto jobs to build careers, but advancement opportunities have diminished since the early aughts. “But the decline in US auto jobs and the erosion of unions have hit Black workers hardest,” he wrote.

Persons: CNN —, “, ” SFFA, It’s, Henry C, Harris , Jr, Rogers H, Beardon, Frank Frederick Doughton, Elmer B, Edward Blum, Blum, Alabama’s, —, Blum —, Holder, Shelby, you’ve, CNN’s Nathaniel Meyersohn, Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters Meyersohn, ”, John Blake Organizations: CNN, US Naval Academy, Harvard, University of North, Fair, US Military Academy, West, US Navy, US Armed Forces, Defense Department, Black US Army, Military, Fort, US Supreme, Republican, Alabama’s GOP, UAW, United Auto Workers, Detroit’s Big, Reuters Locations: University of North Carolina, America, Fort Benning, Georgia, Alabama, Florida , Louisiana, County, Detroit, Belleville , Michigan

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Jalen Milroe passed for a career-high 321 yards and Jermaine Burton caught two touchdown passes as No. 11 Alabama beat Texas A&M 26-20 on Saturday to take control of the SEC West. Burton had nine catches for 197 yards for the Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 Southeastern Conference). Alabama took a 10-3 lead on the first play of the second quarter on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Milroe to Isaiah Bond. THE TAKEAWAY:Alabama: The Crimson Tide now controls its own destiny in the SEC West as the only team unbeaten in the conference.

Persons: Jalen Milroe, Jermaine Burton, Burton, Jimbo Fisher, Randy Bond, Max Johnson, Conner Weigman, Zach Calzada —, Caleb Downs, Chris Braswell, Isaiah Bond, Jake, Le’Veon Moss, ___ Organizations: Alabama, Texas, SEC, Crimson Tide, Aggies, College Station, Tide Locations: Texas, Alabama, Milroe, Atlanta, Arkansas, Tennessee

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal judges selected new congressional lines for Alabama to give the Deep South state a second district where Black voters comprise a substantial portion of the electorate. Black voters will go from comprising less than one-third of the voting-age population to nearly 50%. The three judges said the state should have two districts where Black voters have an opportunity to elect their preferred candidates. Alabama lawmakers responded in July and passed a new map that maintained a single majority Black district. Under the court map, Black residents will comprise 48.7% of the voting-age population.

Persons: Barry Moore, — Organizations: —, Republican Rep, ”, Black Locations: MONTGOMERY, Ala, Alabama, Black, Mississippi, Montgomery, Mobile

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

☆ Supreme Court Declines to Revisit Alabama Voting Map Dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | More About Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Supreme Court on Tuesday morning declined to reinstate a congressional map in Alabama drawn by Republican lawmakers that had only one majority-Black district, paving the way for a new map to be put in place before the 2024 election. The order came in response to a request from Alabama that the justices freeze a lower-court ruling striking down its proposed map. A three-judge panel found that the state had brazenly flouted its directive to create a second majority-Black district or something “close to it.”Alabama’s request for relief was the second time in under a year that it had asked the Supreme Court to affirm a limited role of race in establishing voting districts for federal elections in what amounted to a defiant repudiation of lower-court rulings. The court’s order gave no reasons, which is often the case when the justices decide on emergency applications. The ruling clears the way for a special master and court-appointed cartographer to create a new map.

Organizations: Republican Locations: Alabama, Black

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court’s decision siding with Black voters in an Alabama redistricting case gave Democrats and voting rights activists a surprising opportunity before the 2024 elections. Khadidah Stone, a plaintiff in the Alabama case, said the continuing opposition was “appalling” but “not surprising.” She noted that Alabama is where then-Gov. A similar dynamic is playing out in Florida, where Republicans are appealing a ruling favorable to Black voters to the Republican-majority state Supreme Court. But the continued pushback from Republican legislatures in control of redistricting means there is great uncertainty about whether –- or how soon -– new maps offering equal representation for Black voters will be drawn. Louisiana state Rep. Sam Jenkins Jr., a Democrat, said he is optimistic now that the matter is in the courts.

Persons: It's, “, ”, George Wallace, Shawn Donahue, ’ ” Donahue, general’s, Shelly Dick, Dick, Stuart Naifeh, Sam Jenkins Jr, Sen, Royce Duplessis, ” Duplessis, Ron DeSantis, Al Lawson, DeSantis, Angie Nixon, Nixon, ___ Gomez Licon, Kim Chandler, Kevin McGill Organizations: WASHINGTON, Black, Alabama Republicans, Republican, University of Alabama, State University of New, Republicans, U.S . House, U.S, Louisiana’s GOP, Circuit, NAACP Legal Defense, Educational Fund, Democrat, Gov, GOP, Florida Supreme, DeSantis, Democratic U.S . Rep, Democratic, Associated Press Locations: Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, State University of New York, Buffalo, Black, U.S, Orleans, Baton Rouge, Jacksonville, Miami, Montgomery , Alabama, New Orleans

☆ 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, ”

☆ Opinion | Alabama Cherishes Its History of Defying the Federal Courts
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( David Firestone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“The Legislature knows our state, our people and our districts better than the federal courts or activist groups,” wrote Gov. In a hearing last month, the three judges on the lower-court panel couldn’t quite believe it when Alabama came back with a map with only a single majority-Black district. Alabama knew full well that it would lose this case and that a second majority-Black district would inevitably be created over its opposition. They didn’t want to appear that they were knuckling under to the power of the federal government. They wanted the court to do it, and they wanted the public to understand that it was the court’s doing.

Persons: —, ”, Kay Ivey, Roberts, Terry Moorer Organizations: Federal, Court, Alabama, Republican Locations: Alabama, Black, “, State, Northern Alabama

☆ Federal Court Throws Out Alabama’s Revised Congressional District Map
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Jess Bravin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

Section 2 of the federal law says voting district lines can’t result in discrimination against minority voters, who must be given a chance to elect candidates of their choosing. Jones preliminarily ruled in 2022 that some parts of Georgia’s redistricting plans probably violate federal law, but the trial is needed to flesh out facts for a verdict. “The Voting Rights Act was designed for cases like this one," Lakin said. “If Georgia’s electoral system is not equally open to Black voters, what would have to change?" Tyson also renewed the state's argument that Georgia's maps were drawn to protect incumbents and to prioritize Republican majorities, motives that are legal under federal law.

Persons: Alabama's, Steve Jones, Jones preliminarily, Jones, Sophia Lin Lakin, Lakin, Bryan Tyson, Tyson, Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, Joe Biden's, ” Tyson, William Cooper, Cooper, ”, Abha Khanna, Khanna Organizations: ATLANTA, U.S, Supreme, District, Republican, Assembly, ”, Black, Senate Locations: Georgia, Alabama

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia can resume enforcing a ban on hormone replacement therapy for transgender people under 18, a judge ruled Tuesday, putting her previous order blocking the ban on hold after a federal appeals court allowed Alabama to enforce a similar restriction. The 11th Circuit panel's ruling last month said Alabama can implement a ban on the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat transgender children. Political Cartoons View All 1145 ImagesThe Georgia law, Senate Bill 140, allows doctors to prescribe puberty-blocking medications, and it allows minors who are already receiving hormone therapy to continue. But it bans any new patients under 18 from starting hormone therapy. The injunction was sought by several transgender children, parents and a community organization in a lawsuit challenging the ban.

Persons: Sarah Geraghty, Geraghty, Circuit panel's, Bill Organizations: ATLANTA, Appeals, Associated Press, Circuit, American Medical Association Locations: Georgia, Alabama, U.S

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