AL Political Reporter: “A federal judge last sentenced a former Alabama correctional officer to nine years in prison for allowing another officer to beat two handcuffed inmates.  Willie Burks III, 41, a former lieutenant, is to serve nine years in prison and two years of supervised probation after his release, the U.S. Justice Department said…

WaPo: “Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin distanced himself Monday from a tweet mocking a teenager that went out Saturday on his campaign account, calling it “unauthorized.” The “Team Youngkin” tweet lashed out at a high school student as well as Democrat Ralph Northam on Twitter this weekend, tweeting out the teen’s name and photo after the…

The News & Observer: “North Carolina’s new political district maps are unconstitutional, the N.C. Supreme Court ruled Friday. The maps, drawn by Republican lawmakers late last year, would have given GOP candidates a sizable advantage in elections throughout the next decade. Republican leaders argued in favor of the maps in court, saying redistricting is an…

AR Times: “The state Medical Marijuana Commission can’t issue the final two dispensary licenses until a lawsuit alleging racial bias in the application process can be fully heard, according to a temporary restraining order issued by Circuit Judge Alice Gray on Tuesday.  The commission had been on track to issue the remaining licenses this spring after it initiated a…

AL Political Reporter: “Congressman Tom Bevill represented Alabama for 30 years, procuring federal support that transformed our state. You can watch the documentary “Tom Bevill – Servant Leader” on Monday, Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. on Alabama Public Television. ​His family, staff, colleagues all share great stories on his childhood, WWII service, family and public…

Local10: ““They said, “We’re doing the renewals on the voter registration, would you like to renew?” Selva recalled. Resident Juan Carlos Salazar was not suspicious at the time. “I didn’t do anything, but they changed the party,” Salazar said, adding he noticed, “when they sent me the new registration.” He wasn’t the only elderly resident…

AL Political Reporter: “Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones has been selected by the Biden White House to help guide the president’s selection for the next U.S. Supreme Court justice through the confirmation process.  The so-called “sherpa,” as the role has been termed, helps schedule and guide the nominee through the series of interviews that she…

AL Political Reporter: “The Alabama Sheriffs Association, joined by the Association of County Commissions of Alabama and the Alabama Association of School Resource Officers, held a press conference outside the Alabama Statehouse Tuesday to voice their opposition to a slate of permitless carry — also known as “constitutional carry” — bills currently moving through the…

NC Policy Watch: “State Supreme Court justices were asked in oral arguments Wednesday to declare that redistricting plans the Republicans devised are so skewed that they violate voters’ constitutional rights, while lawyers for GOP lawmakers argued that redistricting should be left to the legislature. Common Cause, the League of Conservation Voters, and a group of…

NY Times: “A federal judge on Monday rejected plea agreements with the Justice Department for two of the three white men facing hate crime charges in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery after his family expressed fierce opposition to the deal.It was a surprising and extraordinary twist in a case in which a 25-year-old Black man…