2/18/2009 - Texas Firm Accused of $8 Billion Fraud
HOUSTON — In Texas, Robert Allen Stanford was just another wealthy financier. But in the breezy money haven of Antigua, he was lord of an influential financial fief, decorated with a knighthood, courted by government officials and basking in the spotlight of sports and charity events on which he generously showered his fortune. On Tuesday, his reign was thrown into turmoil as a caravan of cars and trucks carrying federal authorities pulled up to the headquarters of his company, the Stanford Group, to shut down what the regulators described as a "massive ongoing fraud" ... read more

2/18/2009 - Alabama House of Representatives approves new qualifications for state judges
MONTGOMERY - The Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to set experience requirements for state judges, including to require that Alabama Supreme Court justices be licensed lawyers for 10 years before joining the bench. The requirements would not affect current judges but would be applied in future elections or appointments. The House voted 99-0 for the bill, which now moves to the Senate for consideration. "It will provide the public with confidence that those seeking judicial office have the requisite experience to do the job," said bill sponsor Rep. Paul ... read more

3/4/2009 - U.S. Supreme Court's decision involving a West Virginia judicial election should interest Alabama
THE ISSUE: A controversy over a West Virginia judicial election went Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court and should be watched closely in Alabama. Maybe the most surprising thing about a U.S. Supreme Court case over a smelly judicial election is that it wasn't birthed in Alabama. Instead, the case argued Tuesday at the country's highest court came from West Virginia. It involves a coal executive who spent at least $3 million to help elect a state Supreme Court candidate who later voted to overturn a huge judgment against his benefactor's ... read more

5/18/2009 - Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions vows fair hearing for Supreme Court nominee
Posted by  Mary Orndorff -- ... read more

5/18/2009 - Gov. signs law requiring judges to have experience
Associated Press - May 18, 2009 5:14 PM ET MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has signed into law a bill that requires candidates for state judges to have a certain amount of legal experience. The new law signed by Riley Monday requires candidates for the Supreme Court and for seats on the Court of Criminal Appeals and Civil Appeals to have at least 10 years experience as licensed lawyers. Candidates for circuit judge must have five years experience and three years is required to run for district ... read more

5/22/2009 - Obama Curtails Bush's Policy of 'Preemption'
President Obama continued to reverse his predecessor's policies this week by undoing a controversial Bush administration rule known as "preemption" that used federal regulations to override state laws on the environment, health, public safety and other issues. Obama, in a memorandum to federal agency heads issued late Wednesday, said his administration should undertake regulations preempting state laws in rare instances and "only with ... read more

10/19/2009 - In Blockbuster Ruling, Alabama Supreme Court Overturns Three Verdicts Against Drug Companies in State Drug-Pricing Fraud Cases
By Alison Frankel| October 16, 2009 We were all set to write a post about another setback for AstraZeneca in the litigation over reimbursements based on average wholesale prices for pharmaceuticals-- Thursday's $14 million verdict against the company in a Medicaid drug-pricing fraud case brought by the state of Kentucky --when we got news that completely shifts the momentum in the sprawling, multistate AWP litigation. The Supreme Court of Alabama, in <a ... read more

10/19/2009 - Larry Langford trial: Jury to be pulled from 10 counties
By Robert K. Gordon -- The Birmingham News October 19, 2009, 6:14AM Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford leaves the federal courthouse in December 2008 after the announcement of a 101-count federal criminal indictment against Langford, Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount and lobbyist Al LaPierre. In April, the SEC filed a federal civil suit against Langford, Blount and LaPierre, alleging a pay-for-play scheme in county sewer bond deals. (The Birmingham News / Linda Stelter)  The jury that hears Birmingham Mayor Larry ... read more

10/19/2009 - Dodd, Shelby lead way on unified finance reform
By VICTORIA MCGRANE | 10/19/09 4:53 AM EDT After the Treasury Department released its legislative draft for financial regulation reform in July, administration officials contacted Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd to set up a briefing. But the Connecticut Democrat caught them short by insisting it be a bipartisan affair, with Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and his staff included. And so it went all summer, with Treasury officials going through the draft proposals line by line, through all 13 titles. The sessions sparked ... read more