The New SPLC Indictment Is Probably Also Just The Tip Of The Iceberg
A superseding indictment filed this week against the Southern Poverty Law Center is probably the signal that a long legal battle is starting.A superseding indictment filed this week against the Southern Poverty Law Center is probably the signal that a long legal battle is starting.SCOTUS Swats Down Rogue Court’s Block On Alabama’s Congressional Map — Again
'Here, the District Court interposed itself into Alabama’s ongoing efforts to conduct its imminent 2026 congressional elections under maps that its elected representatives selected.'Supreme Court gives Republicans a BIG boost in Alabama for midterm redistricting
Republicans just got another victory at the U.S. Supreme Court.
The highest court in the land approved the redistricted congressional map for Alabama in a 6-3 decision released late on Tuesday evening. All three liberal justices dissented.
'Our message to communities remains the same — the best way to express dissent is by showing up at the ballot box this election season.'
One of Alabama's majority-black districts will be eliminated by the new map.
The dissent, written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, accused the majority justices of "unleashing chaos" with the decision, likely confusing voters at this late stage in the election season.
"Just as Alabama doubled down on racial discrimination, the Court today doubles down on chaos," Sotomayor claimed. "Because I choose to defend the rule of law and the right of all Alabamians to participate equally in democracy, I respectfully dissent."
Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey released a statement in support of the decision.
"The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed what I have said all along, and that is that Alabama knows our state, our people, and our districts best," she wrote. "Today's decision is a win for the people of Alabama and our elections."
Democrats were outraged over the decision.
"The Supreme Court has now confirmed that there is no longer a Voting Rights Act in America, and states are essentially free to discriminate against minority voters with no consequences," said Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), whose district was eliminated by the redistricting.
"Once again, the right-wing Supreme Court has put its blatant partisanship on full display, allowing Alabama Republicans to change the rules in the eleventh hour and use a racist congressional map that federal courts have found — on two separate occasions — intentionally discriminates against Black Alabama voters," read a statement from Rep. Terri Sewell, a Democrat from Alabama.
RELATED: Federal court strikes down Alabama redistricting effort — GOP to APPEAL at Supreme Court
"This is just the latest in a pattern of outrageous Supreme Court decisions that help Republicans desperately cling to power ahead of the midterm elections while diluting Black voices and erasing decades of hard-fought civil rights progress," Sewell added.
She went on to accuse Republicans of taking America "back to the Jim Crow era," an accusation that was repeated by the NAACP.
"This is a Court that is stripping Black voters of power and voice at a speed that would put Jim Crow jurists to shame," said Kristen Clarke, general counsel of the NAACP. "Our message to communities remains the same — the best way to express dissent is by showing up at the ballot box this election season."
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Federal court strikes down Alabama's redistricting effort — Republicans to APPEAL at Supreme Court
Alabama Republicans immediately called for an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court after losing a redistricting battle at a three-judge panel of a federal court.
Republicans are trying to reinstate a 2023 congressional map that would allow them the possibility of picking up a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrats claimed the new map would send Alabama back to the '1950s and 60s.'
On Tuesday, a U.S. district court in Alabama sided against the map and ordered the state to use a map with two majority-black districts.
"Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination," read the ruling.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall released a statement after the ruling.
"I am disappointed, but not at all surprised, that the three-judge panel has again struck down Alabama’s blandly unobjectionable congressional map that has been in place for decades," wrote Marshall.
"I find nothing in the U.S. Supreme Court’s vacatur order of May 11 that would provide a basis for this outcome; thus, we will immediately appeal this decision to the Supreme Court," he added.
Rep. Shomari Figures, one of the Democrats representing a black-majority district in Alabama, praised the ruling but said Democrats were prepared to continue fighting at the Supreme Court.
"I am pleased with the Court's decision, but this case is still not over," he wrote.
"Although we expected the Court to reach this decision given the overwhelming evidence, we fully expect the State to immediately appeal the decision to the Supreme Court," Figures added. "This is a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before this fight is settled."
Figures had previously claimed the new map would send Alabama back to the "1950s and 60s in terms of Black political representation in the state."
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"We've seen it from Republicans across the country — their goal is to eliminate every opportunity district for an African American candidate in the country," Figures added in a separate comment.
Marshall expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would side with Republicans.
"This is a very fluid situation, and I will do my best to keep the People of Alabama apprised of our efforts," he added. "Know this — in my mind, it is not a matter of whether we win this case, only when."
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AOC’s fiery voting rights speech mocked after major speech blunder in Alabama
Following redistricting in the South, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) delivered a passionate speech on voting rights and political organizing in Alabama, where she called on activists from northern states to “pull up” on their southern neighbors.
During the speech, AOC argued that protecting voting rights leads to better schools, expanded health care, and broader political representation, while warning supporters that opponents fear people “coming together” across state lines.
“It is time for the North to pull up to the South," AOC yelled, "It is time for New York to pull up to Alabama. It is time for all of us to come to Georgia, to Louisiana, to Tennessee, to Mississippi and let them know exactly what they have uncorked with this injustice."
“Because when black Americans have the right to vote and that vote is protected, our schools get funded. When voting rights are protected, health care gets expanded. When voting rights are protected, our country moves forward,” she said.
“And Montgomery, that’s what they’re actually afraid of. They’re afraid of us coming together. They’re afraid of us protecting one another. Alabama is the crucible. Georgia is the crucible. Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi is the crucible,” she continued.
“It is time to pull up. Because what they thought was the final blow is actually just the opening silo,” she yelled.
BlazeTV host Pat Gray laughs, saying, “Of course, she means salvo. It’s ‘the opening salvo.’”
“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” he adds.
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Remains of 23-year-old woman found after she had been missing for over a week; male charged with abuse of a corpse
The remains of a 23-year-old Alabama woman who had been missing for more than a week were found Saturday, and a male was charged with abuse of a corpse in connection with her death, AL.com reported.
Karen Deann Hollis vanished May 8 from Northport, the outlet reported, adding that Hollis was last seen around midnight in the area of 43rd Avenue in Northport.
'Multiple search warrants were executed, and a great deal of physical, witness, and electronic information was obtained.'
Northport police said Hollis at the time of her disappearance was believed to have been living with a condition that could impair her judgment, AL.com added.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued a missing person alert in connection with her disappearance, the outlet said.
Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy said the initial investigation led detectives to believe that foul play may have been involved, AL.com reported, adding that the violent crimes unit and Northport police have been working together on the case.
A person of interest was developed last week, but the victim still had not been located, AL.com reported.
But family and friends located Hollis' remains on Saturday while searching an area determined to be of interest based on information received from an electronic device, the outlet said.
Kennedy said Hollis' remains were recovered in Greene County, AL.com reported, adding that the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Greene County District Attorney’s Office, and Greene County coroner assisted in the recovery of the remains.
"The investigation has been a priority for both agencies," Kennedy said, according to the outlet. "Multiple search warrants were executed, and a great deal of physical, witness, and electronic information was obtained."
The male identified last week as the person of interest — 44-year-old Randall Lendell Dejourney — was taken into custody, the outlet said.
Dejourney is charged with abuse of a corpse, AL.com reported, adding that he was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail with a bond set at $15,000. A jail official on Monday afternoon told Blaze News that Dejourney was still behind bars.
Kennedy said Hollis' remains have been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of her death, AL.com reported.
The investigation is ongoing, and more charges could be brought following the autopsy results, the outlet added.
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'Unprecedented threat': Bomb discovered under water at Alabama dam
Big Creek Lake is a 3,600-acre man-made reservoir that holds 17 billion gallons of water and serves as the main source of drinking water for Mobile, Alabama, and other nearby municipalities, producing roughly 60 million gallons of potable water a day.
Apparently, someone wanted to blow up the dam holding it all back.
'We are fortunate that this device was discovered before it could cause serious damage.'
Divers conducting a routine repair at the dam hemming in the lake, which is also called the Converse Reservoir, discovered an explosive device hidden under water on Tuesday, according to Alabama's largest water utility, the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System.
Following the discovery of an apparent grenade-type IED at the dam, the MAWSS alerted the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, reported Al.com. The sheriff's office subsequently initiated a multi-agency response — which included FBI, Mobile Police Department, and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency bomb squads as well as the Daphne Search and Rescue Team — to secure and neutralize the device.
The Gulf Coast Regional Maritime Response and Render-Safe Team ultimately retrieved and detonated the IED.
The reservoir — public access to which MAWSS has been fighting to restrict — and the dam are federally designated critical infrastructure.
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"Our top priority is keeping your drinking water safe," MAWSS Director Bud McCrory said in a statement. "This is an unprecedented threat, and we are fortunate that this device was discovered before it could cause serious damage to our water supply or harm to individuals."
"We are grateful for the professionalism and competency of our law enforcement partners — as well as the quick thinking of our contractors and divers — in identifying this device and safely destroying it," added McCrory.
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War against 'race-baiting' SPLC opens new front in Alabama
The Southern Poverty Law Center was federally indicted on April 21 for allegedly funneling millions of dollars to the very racist and extremist groups it claimed to be fighting, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation, the American Front, United Klans of America, and the National Socialist Party of America.
The Alabama-headquartered smear- and fearmongering racket — charged with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of making false statements to a federally insured bank, and one count of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering — pleaded not guilty on Thursday to all counts.
'We have always suspected that they were monetizing hate.'
"The charges against the SPLC are provably wrong," stated SPLC interim president and CEO Bryan Fair. "They are based on inaccurate facts and a misapplication of law. Our informant program was successful in accomplishing its purposes: Threats and attacks were prevented, criminal activity was stopped, and information was gathered to dismantle the efforts of hate and extremist groups."
Now thanks to the state of Alabama, SPLC smear merchants will have to mount a defense on more than one front.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced on Monday that his office has launched a civil investigation into the SPLC, alleging deceptive fundraising practices under Alabama's consumer protection statutes.
The probe is looking specifically at whether the SPLC's alleged activities referenced in the federal indictment violated Alabama's Deceptive Trade Practices Act or other state laws concerning charitable organizations.
RELATED: Klansman allegedly on SPLC payroll was 'true believer' white supremacist, not reformed infiltrator
Marshall's office has subpoenaed SPLC documents disclosing to Alabama donors or prospective donors the organization's use of "informants"; identifying the annual donations received from donors in Alabama and beyond; showing annual disbursements of donated funds to "informants"; reflecting the percentage of the SPLC's annual budget blown on "informant"-related costs; and showing payments to groups or individuals appearing in the SPLC's extremist files or on its hate map.
The SPLC, which has been ordered to produce these documents by June 1, confirmed to WSFA-TV that the organization's leaders "have received notice of a subpoena and are currently reviewing."
"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 in a statement.
"We have always suspected that they were monetizing hate and trading on race-baiting; it was just a matter of proving it," continued Marshall. "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."
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