On March 5, a federal judge heard arguments in a lawsuit filed against Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall over Marshall’s claim in 2023 that healthcare providers could face criminal charges for assisting Alabamians in traveling out of the state to receive an abortion. 

After Roe v Wade was overturned, Alabama passed restrictive abortion laws that banned abortions in almost all cases, allowing exceptions only in cases where the mother’s life is determined to be at risk. No exceptions are made in the law for rape or incest. 

Physicians that violate the law could be charged with a Class A felony under current law. 

In the wake of the end of Roe v. Wade, several groups, including the Yellowhammer Fund, focused efforts on providing transportation assistance to those traveling out of the state to obtain an abortion. 

In 2023, Marshall stated that the state would be investigating organizations that provided travel assistance to those seeking an abortion in a state where it is legal and suggested that they could face legal action. 

This prompted the Yellowhammer Fund and other groups to file a lawsuit against Marshall and state district attorneys to prevent them from prosecuting for travel assistance. They argue that if Marshall were to file suit against them, it would be an “extraterritorial overreach of state power…” and would violate “…the fundamental right to travel.” They also argue that it would be a violation of their first amendment rights. 

On March 5, attorneys for the state argued that first amendment rights don’t apply here because providing funding and transportation doesn’t mean the act is considered an expression of speech. 

When asked, the plaintiffs told U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson if he ruled in their favor, they would like a permanent injunction to prevent legal action being taken by the Attorney General’s office for transportation support in the future.

Alabama top stories in brief

Bill to exempt nursing mothers from jury duty approved by House

• HB209 was passed unanimously by the Alabama House on March 4 and exempts nursing mothers from serving jury duty.

• Mothers must provide documentation of childbirth and a written statement, then are exempt from jury duty for two years. 

• SB79, the companion bill in the senate was passed by its chamber on Feb. 18.  

• The bill was named Parker’s Law after the 3-month-old child of Kandace Brown, whose post about a judge’s refusal to dismiss her from jury duty sparked the public outcry that led to the legislation. 

House approves bill eliminating youthful offender status for intentional murder

• HB146 would remove judges’ ability to use their discretion and apply youthful offender status for intentional murder cases when the person charged is 16 or older. 

• The bill passed 67 – 33 and did not gain full support from the Republicans in the house.

• Originally, the bill applied to all offenders of murder, including those that committed an act of arson that led to death, but an amendment by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, changed it to apply only to those charged with intentional murder. 

Attorneys fight against lawsuit challenging anti-DEI law

• Attorneys representing the plaintiffs — the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, Gov. Ivey and other state officials — argued that reallocating campus spaces and the restrictions on speech placed by SB129 do not violate the constitution. 

• SB129, which was passed during the last legislative session and came into effect in October of 2024, banned the sponsoring diversity, equity and inclusion programs by institutes of higher learning and set restrictions on teaching DEI concepts. 

• As part of UA’s interpretation of the law, they closed the spaces reserved for the Black Student Union and the Safe Zone, which provided resources and support for LGBTQ+ programs. 

• A group of students and professors filed a lawsuit against the law, arguing that it violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. 

• Defendants argued in their filing that the law allowed the teaching of divisive concepts defined in the bill, just not the endorsement. 

School cell phone ban bills pass in both the house and senate

• SB92 and HB166 would ban cell phones in K-12 schools from the start until the end of the school day. 

• Additionally, the bills would require that all students complete an internet safety course, something that State Superintendent Eric Mackey says is already in the works and will be implemented, regardless of whether the bills pass. 

• Exceptions to the ban would be allowed in emergencies, when necessary for education and by students with Individualized Education Plans or Section 504 plans. 

• Both bills passed unanimously in their respective chambers and now go to be considered in the opposite chamber. 

Over 300 protestors gathered in response to NIH spending cuts

• On March 7, an estimated 300 people, according to AL.com, including students, professors and patients gathered at Railroad Park in Birmingham to protest cuts made to the National Institutes of Health and other federal research funding.

• The Trump administration moved to severely cut NIH funding to colleges and universities soon after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a move that UAB said would cost them around $70 million per year. 

• A federal judge temporarily blocked the order, but it has still caused numerous programs to be suspended by universities due to uncertainty over the future of their funding. 

Announcements

• We’re in the process of launching a new element of The Sunrise News called Alabama Spotlight. Alabama Spotlight will focus on interesting people, places and things about Alabama, bringing focus to some of the best parts of our state. Primarily, we’ll focus this around a new podcast, but we’ll be producing supporting articles and releasing photo highlights from some of the locations we visit.

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