There will be no shortage of stories to follow in Alabama’s courtrooms in 2025.
Alabama is no stranger to being sued by the federal government. The Department of Justice is involved with lawsuits against Alabama on topics ranging from non-citizen voting to prisons, wastewater management and a state law banning transgender surgeries and treatments for minors. It will be interesting to see if the DOJ under President-elect Donald Trump drops its involvement in any of these lawsuits.
Two Alabama lawmakers will likely have their day in court in 2025. State Rep. Tracy Estes (R-Winfield) pleaded not guilty in Marion County District Court to a domestic violence charge in September. A bench trial is set for 9:30 a.m. on January 13. State Rep. Kelvin Lawrence (D-Hayneville) also pleaded not guilty to two felony forgery charges in July in Lowndes County Circuit Court. No trial has been set in that case yet.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced in July the arrest of Terry Andrew Heflin, the Democrat candidate for District 5 of the Clay County Commission, on seven felony counts of voter fraud. Heflin has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His next day in court is set for January 6.
Members of the Alabama Supreme Court temporarily paused litigation in April in a lawsuit involving alleged self-dealing among trustees overseeing a scholarship fund for needy children created by former Alabama Secretary of State Mabel Amos. The case has been settled between the state, board members, and Regions Bank but still needs to be approved by Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin.
Litigation continues to drag on and stall the implementation of Alabama’s medical cannabis law passed in 2021. Both sides are in mediation again in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Will 2025 be the year the state’s medical cannabis program finally gets rolling?
U.S. District Judge Liles Burke stayed a trial on Alabama’s Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act (VCAP) in July after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a similar case involving the state of Tennessee’s ban on transgender surgeries for minors. A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on the Tennessee case is expected in 2025 and will have a significant impact on Alabama’s law.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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