Alabama has become the second state to sue the U.S. government over refugee resettlement.
Governor Robert Bentley field the lawsuit today accusing the Obama administration of failing to consult with states on placement of those who have fled their home countries.
Bentley is one of several Republican governors who opposed the settlement of Syrian refugees in their states after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks. The lawsuit doesn't specifically address Syrian refugees, but it follows the lead of Texas, which sued last month to try to block six Syrian refugees from settling in Dallas.
The Alabama lawsuit says the federal government hasn't followed part the Refugee Act of 1980, which says the federal government "shall consult regularly" with states on placement.
The federal government controls resettlement programs. Experts have said states have no authority to ban refugees.
Federal prosecutors say Alabama’s probate judges should continue issuing same sex marriage licenses, despite the actions of the state’s chief justice. APR’s Pat Duggins spoke to one group that thinks Roy Moore should be kicked out of office, again.
The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a complaint against Roy Moore with the State’s Judicial Ethics Panel. This comes after Moore suggested that probate judges defy the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same sex marriage. SPLC President Richard Cohen says Moore’s current actions harken back to when he was kicked out of office in 2003 for refusing to take down the Ten Commandments from Alabama’s Supreme Court building…
“It’s clear that he at least encouraged them to violate a court order, and I think that’s at least as bad as his outright defiance back in 2003. And, I certainly think the court of the judiciary should remove him from office.”
Some county judges have started issued gay marriage licenses again. Judge Moore told the Associated Press a state Supreme Court ban on same sex unions is still in place.
The Alabama Crimson Tide football team is getting ready to head to Arizona for the College Football Playoff National Championship against undefeated Clemson.
Alabama has practiced all week getting ready for the opportunity to win its sixteenth National Title and fourth under coach Nick Saban.
Saban says this game presents a completely different challenge to his team…
“These guys average, you know 80-something plays a game where Michigan State didn’t average that many. They weren’t a fastball team. The game is going to be longer and the players are going to play more plays so it’s going to be a game where conditioning is going to be at a premium.”
Kickoff is set for Monday night at 7:30 from University of Phoenix Stadium.