Democratic State Supreme Court Chief Justice Candidate Bob Vance
Alabama isn’t much of a factor in the presidential election, but the race for state Supreme Court Chief Justice is shaping up to be an intriguing contest. Republicans nominated Roy Moore, who was ousted from the chief justice position a decade ago when he refused to remove a 10 commandments monument from the Alabama judicial building.
Democrats disqualified the winner of their primary after he publicly advocated hanging illegal immigrants and accused Moore of devil worship on Facebook. Two months ago Democrats put Bob Vance on the ballot. He’s a Jefferson County circuit court judge and the son of a federal judge who was killed by a mail bomb in 1989. Vance tells WBHM’s Andrew Yeager he wasn’t looking for a new job.
UPDATE (10/30): Ten current and former justices of the Alabama Supreme Court, including three republicans, endorsed Bob Vance on Tuesday.
Interview Highlights
On running as a Democrat in a solidly Republican state:
“I don’t see that as an insurmountable challenge. The information we have, we’ve conducted polling and that shows that people are willing to crossover and vote in this race. On an anecdotal basis I’ve had so many Republicans come up to me and say, ‘Thank you. Thank you for running.’ I think there are a good number of Republicans who are uncomfortable with my opponent and who are very comfortable with who I am and will be crossing over to vote for me on Election Day.”
On leading the state court system when budgets are tight:
“The chief justice has to work with the people in the courts to wring out whatever efficiencies we can. To make the court system more and more efficient. That may be an increase use of technology. Working together. Sharing the workload. Using imagination. We will have to think outside the box.”
On finding effective judicial programs:
“We’ve had a great program here in Jefferson County. We call it drug court. Instead of just throwing people in prison for drug abuse, why don’t we actually focus on trying to help people kick their habits? So we’ve had this program in place that divert people out of what you might call a conventional justice process into a program where a judge monitors efforts to try to get people to kick their habits. And it’s been a successful program…We need to focus on those kinds programs because they really address the problems. Try to solve the problems. And in doing so, ultimately save the state money.”
Trump says he’s fighting crime. Illinois Gov. Pritzker sees a power grab before 2026
Steve Inskeep speaks with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker about President Trump's threats to send National Guard troops to Chicago and the future of the Democratic Party.
Who is Lachlan Murdoch, the anointed media tycoon?
His position in leading News Corp. and Fox is now secure, as his father ends a dramatic succession battle. Lachlan grew up in New York City but has lived in Australia for much of his adult life.
You’re more likely to reach for that soda when it’s hot outside
People drink more sugary beverages when it's hot, researchers found, significantly increasing their sugar intake. That impact could grow as climate change raises the world's temperatures.
Trump’s control of the D.C. police is due to expire tonight. Then what?
Trump needs an extension from Congress to control D.C. police for more than 30 days. Some Republican lawmakers are focused on pursuing legislation that would exert power over D.C. in other ways.
33 million voters have been run through a Trump administration citizenship check
Tens of millions of voters have had their information run through the tool — a striking portion of the U.S. public, considering little has been made public about the tool's accuracy or data security.
Poland says it shot down Russian drones that violated its airspace
Poland said Wednesday that it and its NATO allies had shot down Russian drones that violated Polish airspace in what it called an "act of aggression" as Russia launched aerial attacks on Ukraine.
