Alabama Judge Nomination Sparks Tension
With the death of Supreme Chief Justice Antonin Scalia, the fight over judicial appointments to federal judgeships has only grown more intense. Alabama’s seat on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has been vacant for two years. Earlier this month, President Barack Obama nominated federal judge Abdul Kallon to fill the seat.
Several prominent lawyers, judges, and U.S. Representative Terri Sewell held a press conference on Saturday in downtown Birmingham in support of Judge Abdul Kallon’s nomination to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sewell, who is a lawyer and has worked with Judge Kallon, said that his nomination will will a vacancy in the court and a void in diversity among federal judges. There are only two African American federal judges in Alabama, and only one African American judge on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The case for increasing the number of black federal judges in the state of Alabama is clear,” Sewell stated. “The selection of this nation’s federal judges should not be a partisan issue.”
Federal judges are nominated by the President and then confirmed or rejected at a Senate hearing. Following Kallon’s nomination by President Obama, Alabama Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby released a joint statement opposing the choice.
Kallon is currently a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Both Shelby and Sessions supported his nomination to that seat back in 2009.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals serves Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the court’s case backlog is considered a ‘judicial emergency.’
Local health officials plan to increase monkeypox vaccinations
Health officials will soon begin offering intradermal vaccinations, reaching more people with less vaccine.
Combating gun violence remains a top focus of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As violent crime in Birmingham and the surrounding area continues to increase, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, Prim Escalona, uses a variety of tools and strategies to get firearms and bad guys off the street.
Some 3rd graders in local schools could be held back under new law
This is the first school year that third graders who do not read at grade level by the end of the school year must be held back in that grade, rather than passed on to fourth grade. The Alabama Literacy Act was passed several years ago, but its implementation was delayed because of the pandemic.
How one Birmingham custodian preps for the first day of school
When the kids are away, the custodial and maintenance staff in schools work all summer long. One custodian told WBHM about what it takes to keep the kids happy and healthy as they trade sunshine for fluorescent lights.
Dollar store workers are organizing for a better workplace. Just don’t call it a union.
Fired up by a labor movement that’s seen big union victories recently, dollar store workers are organizing in their own way to improve work conditions.
Bill Clark has a knack for making comebacks. Will he make one more?
Bill Clark has had to overcome some serious hurdles during his career at UAB, as well as in his personal life. He not only resurrected a football program that had been neglected—and then out-right killed—he’s also been fighting through what he’s called a serious injury since childhood.
