Thanks to a traditionalistic political culture and modern-day culture wars, public humiliation and scandal have plagued all three branches of Alabama government in the last year. In July 2016, former House Speaker Mike Hubbard was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison for felony ethics violations for soliciting money or business from individuals and companies. In September 2016, for the second time, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore was removed from office for the rest of his term for ordering probate judges to enforce a statewide ban on same-sex marriages, defying a US Supreme Court ruling. … Then Governor Robert Bentley resigned in April 2017, admitting to violations of campaign and ethics laws. And it just gets worse. CONT.
Andrée E. Reeves (U. of Alabama in Huntsville), LSE USAPP