Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has issued an investigatory subpoena to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) after opening a civil investigation alleging deceptive fundraising practices under the state's consumer protection statutes.
In the subpoena from Marshall's office, Katherine Robertson, chief counsel, deputy Attorney General's Office of the Alabama attorney general, commands the SPLC to produce the requested documents by Monday, June 1, 2026.
“My Office has been fighting the SPLC for years—whether fighting them to protect minors from transgender medical procedures, fighting them to keep bad guys behind bars, or fighting them to preserve Alabama’s Republican congressional districts,” Marshall said. “We have always suspected that they were monetizing hate and trading on race-baiting, it was just a matter of proving it. Thanks to the U.S. Justice Department’s action to deal with the SPLC, the State’s efforts have now received a shot in the arm. We look forward to learning more about the inner workings of an organization that we have long believed was rotten, but until recently, has been impervious.”
The investigatory subpoena includes the following demands:
- Documents disclosing to Alabama donors or prospective donors the SPLC’s use of informants;
- Documents identifying the annual donations received from Alabama donors, as well as donors beyond Alabama;
- Documents showing annual disbursements of donated funds to informants;
- Documents reflecting the percentage of SPLC’s annual budget allocated to informant-related costs; and
- Documents showing payments to groups or individuals appearing in the SPLC’s extremist files or hate map.
The State’s action comes on the heels of a federal grand jury's indictment of the SPLC on charges of wire fraud, false statements, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Alabama’s investigation will seek to determine whether the SPLC’s activity within the state also ran afoul of the State’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act or state laws related to charitable organizations, both of which are enforced by the Attorney General’s Office.
On April 21, a Montgomery grand jury returned an indictment charging the SPLC with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and money laundering.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama Northern Division filed two forfeiture actions to recover alleged proceeds of the organization’s fraud scheme.
A trial date for the federal case has been set for early October.
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