Department of Justice
Justice Department sues Alabama saying state is purging voter rolls too close to election
Federal officials said the purge violates the “quiet period provision” of the National Voter Registration Act that prohibits the systemic removal of names from voter rolls 90 days before a federal election.
A plan to fix Jackson’s water system could cost all of Mississippi its food stamps
The DOJ and USDA said using a SNAP recipient’s information to distribute JXN Water’s roughly $30 discount to low-income customers would violate privacy.
A lawsuit challenging Alabama’s transgender care ban for minors will move forward, judge says
U.S. District Judge Liles Burke said no to a request from the U.S. Department of Justice to put the Alabama case on hold until appellate courts decide if they will hear related petitions on whether states can enact such bans.
Alabama’s prison population sees troubling growth in latest DOJ report
For the first time in nearly a decade, U.S. prison populations are trending up. Alabama's numbers are a part of troubling gains across the Gulf South.
DOJ finds Alabama’s foster care system violates law
The U.S. Department of Justice said the state's foster care program has illegally placed hundreds of students with disabilities into “segregated and inferior educational programs,” a direct violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Alabama prisoners refusing to work in 2nd day of protest
Prisoners including those who provide food, laundry and janitorial services refused to show up for work at major state prisons, leaving staff scrambling to keep the facilities running.
Video appears to show Alabama corrections officer beating inmate
The video, circulating on social media, shows what appears to be a distressed inmate on the edge of a roof at a building at Elmore Correctional Facility, while a group of prison staff look at him from the ground.
Groups oppose $725 million Alabama bond sale for building prisons
The state is expected to go to the bond market on Tuesday, to provide financing for the construction plan. That money will be added to $135 million in state funds and $400 million in pandemic relief dollars that the state already agreed to put toward the construction project.
Alabama OKs $725M bond sale to build 2 supersize prisons
That money will be added to $135 million in state funds and $400 million in pandemic relief dollars that the state already agreed to put toward the project.
Justice Department Knew 2018 Border Policy Would Separate Children From Families
Alabama’s Jeff Sessions is facing criticism for his role as former U.S. Attorney General in a new report by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General.
Jefferson County Bids for Release From HR Consent Decree
Jefferson County's attorney filed a motion yesterday asking that the county be removed from its consent decree.
DOJ Finds Excessive Use of Force In Alabama’s Male Prisons
In one case, a lieutenant slammed a handcuffed prisoner on a concrete floor several times, knocking him unconscious and leaving him unable to breathe. He required hospitalization.
Jeffco Commission Goes Behind Closed Doors Over Stimulus Money
The Jefferson County Commission received guidance this week on their legal use of federal stimulus money because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Questions Loom One Year After Hoover Mall Shooting
The police killing of 21-year-old Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. happened a year ago at the Riverchase Galleria Mall after officers wrongly thought he was the shooter. Alabama’s Attorney General cleared the Hoover police officer of any criminal wrongdoing and so did the Department of Justice. But a lot of questions remain unanswered.
SPLC Proposes ‘Collaborative Process’ to Address Prison Crisis
The Southern Poverty Law Center sent a letter Tuesday to Gov. Kay Ivey and state Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn proposing its own plan to address the state's prison crisis.
DOJ Alleges Alabama Prisons Violate the Constitution
The Department of Justice released a report Wednesday alleging that violence and other dangerous conditions in the state’s male prisons violate the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.
Drummond to Pay $775,000 Penalty to EPA, Jefferson County Health Department
Drummond Company has agreed to pay a $775,000 civil penalty as part of a settlement contained in a consent decree relating to alleged violations of environmental laws at its ABC Coke Plant in Tarrant.
Sessions Speaks in Hoover as Rosenstein News Erupts
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions drew sustained applause speaking at the Hyatt Regency in Hoover on Monday. Sessions’ remarks at a meeting of prosecutors and law enforcement came just as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein was set to meet with White House officials, presumably about his future in the US Department of Justice.
Lack of Guidance Leads to Web Access Lawsuits
In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act required public places to accommodate people with disabilities. But back then, before the Internet grew into what it is now, the law didn’t address the accessibility of websites. Now, with a proliferation of lawsuits, many companies are racing to bring their sites into compliance with industry standards.
Crime in Greater Birmingham: Literacy as Long-Term Prevention?
Police and prosecutors try to fight crime in the streets and in the courts every day. But how do you fight the long-term root causes of crime? Some people think you do it in small school rooms, one lesson at a time.
