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Judge in Jefferson County Rules Alabama’s Death Penalty Statute Unconstitutional

In January, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Hurst v. Florida that Florida’s death penalty statute was unconstitutional. Alabama and Delaware are the only other states with similar statutes that require a judge – not a jury – to make the final decision about life of death in a capital case. Attorney General Luther Strange has held that the Supreme Court ruling does not apply to Alabama. But today one judge in Jefferson County disagreed. Ruling that the death can’t currently be imposed in Alabama.

State Board Approves B’ham Schools Management Plan

It didn't take much convincing for Alabama schools chief Tommy Bice to secure his board's formal approval of the management plan he's putting in place for Birmingham Schools. State board members, after expressing appreciation for Bice's handling of a difficult situation, voted unanimously to approve it at a special called meeting early Thursday afternoon. Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has the latest in this web-exclusive.