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.
Researchers look into community health impact of wood pellet production in rural Mississippi
Brown University and Tougaloo College students are testing for potential air and noise pollution near the Drax wood pellet plant in Gloster, Mississippi.
Alabama coal company sued for a home explosion is delinquent on dozens of penalties
Crimson Oak Grove Resources has been cited for 204 safety violations since the March 8 blast, many involving “significant and substantial” safety violations.
The United Auto Workers faces a key test in the South with upcoming vote at Alabama Mercedes plant
The United Auto Workers is aiming for a key victory at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama. More than 5,000 workers at the facility in Vance and nearby battery plant will vote this week on whether to join the UAW.
Gambling, ethics bills fall short as legislative session ends
Alabama lawmakers closed the books on this year’s regular legislative session Thursday. While Republican leaders passed many of their priority bills, perhaps the most talked about issue – gambling – died.
A look at what passed and failed in the 2024 legislative session
Alabama lawmakers have ended a 2024 legislative session that saw the Republican majority win approval for a number of their top priorities.
Q&A: Bobby Carter on leading Tiny Desk, his time at Jackson State, early career advice
Carter, a Jackson State alumnus, took over as the new series host and producer for NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concerts” series in April.
