Siegelman Judge Faces Divorce Complaint That Includes Allegations of Extramarital Affairs, Drug Use

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Thursday May 17, 2012 · 9:51 AM PDT

2012/05/17 · 09:51

(Note: This diary was updated at roughly 6:30 p.m. CDT on 5/17/12 to make clear that certain comments near the end were from Harper's legal-affairs contributor Scott Horton, not Montgomery Independent editor Bob Martin.)

Mark Fuller, a federal judge in the Middle District of Alabama, has seemed virtually untouchable since presiding over the prosecution of former Democratic Governor Don Siegelman in 2006.

Many progressives, and quite a few legal experts across the political spectrum, have contended that Fuller oversaw a blatant selective prosecution. Counsel for Siegelman and codefendant Richard Scrushy have filed appeals stating that Fuller had multiple conflicts of interests and made numerous improper rulings of law--only to see at least some of the convictions upheld.

Now it looks like Fuller's wife might be able to accomplish what numerous lawyers and commentators could not--show that the judge in the Siegelman was seriously compromised in a variety of ways.

murphymom

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Wednesday May 02, 2012 · 10:26 AM PDT

2012/05/02 · 10:26

This is one of the more nauseating stories I've read lately about a member of the "1 Percent."

Ted Rollins is the CEO of Campus Crest Communities, a builder of student housing that has received Wall Street support that now is in the $400 million to $500 million range. Campus Crest has 33 properties near universities around the country, so Ted Rollins markets his services to young people and their parents.

So it is grimly ironic that Rollins once was convicted for the assault of his stepson, who was then 16 years old and (according to a report from his mother) weighed about 100 pounds. Ted Rollins was about 6-4, 230 at the time, so it doesn't sound like it was a fair fight. It also sounds like it was a flagrant case of child abuse, although the justice system did not treat it as such.

murphymom

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Wednesday April 25, 2012 · 8:24 AM PDT

2012/04/25 · 08:24

The various Blue Cross and Blue Shield affiliates around the country are illegally driving up costs for consumers by blocking competition in the health-insurance industry, according to a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Alabama.

The case is called Fred R. Richards, et al v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, et al, and the lead plaintiff in the antitrust case is Richards and Sons Construction Co., a small Bessemer-based firm and Blue Cross customer.

murphymom

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Tuesday April 24, 2012 · 5:21 PM PDT

2012/04/24 · 17:21

A lawsuit filed in Montgomery, Alabama, sounds like the Trayvon Martin case all over again. Fortunately, in this case, the victim lived to seek justice.

murphymom

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Friday March 09, 2012 · 9:31 AM PST

2012/03/09 · 09:31

One of the best articles I've read in a long time is a profile of author and environmental activist Bill McKibben in the current issue of Time magazine.

At the heart of the article are McKibben's efforts to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport oil-sands crude from Canada to refineries in the United States. But the show-stopping part of the article, at least for me, was this: Bill McKibben is receiving death threats because of his environmental activism--specifically, it appears, because he is fighting the Keystone XL pipeline.

I probably should not have been surprised by this news. Many of us long have figured the big-oil, pro-corporate right includes some vicious, disturbed individuals. But I never figured a guy like Bill McKibben, a highly respected author long before he became an activist, would be targeted.

murphymom

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Tuesday March 06, 2012 · 9:40 AM PST

2012/03/06 · 09:40

When I read the grand-jury report in the case of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, I thought, "Things can't get much worse than this."

Turns out I was wrong.

Since the Sandusky case broke, we've had a string of child sex abuse cases connected to sports--from allegations against former Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine to those against a former clubhouse manager (now deceased) for the Boston Red Sox.

But the most chilling story of all might be unfolding now in Troy Ohio.

murphymom

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Monday March 05, 2012 · 8:15 AM PST

2012/03/05 · 08:15

Our primary election here in Alabama is next Tuesday (March 13), but for a Democrat interested in court races, there isn't much reason to go to the polls.

Eleven seats are up for grabs on Alabama's three appellate courts (criminal appeals, civil appeals, supreme court), and exactly one Democrat is running. That's not one Democrat in each race; that's one Democrat TOTAL.

How pathetic is that?

murphymom

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Tuesday February 14, 2012 · 11:06 AM PST

2012/02/14 · 11:06

As a resident of Alabama, I long have been appalled by the prosecution of Don Siegelman, our former Democratic governor. I've been disgusted that the Obama administration has pretty much refused to root out federal lawlessness in Alabama, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and other states where Democrats were targeted for political reasons during the Bush years. I've been dismayed that the Siegelman case largely has faded from the public's consciousness over the past several months.

That changed the other day, however, and insight came from an unexpected source--the nation's foremost conservative columnist. Yep, it took George Will to bring matters of profound constitutional importance back to public awareness.

murphymom

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Tuesday January 24, 2012 · 10:50 AM PST

2012/01/24 · 10:50

The murder of a family's cat in Arkansas for apparent political reasons is one of the most nauseating stories I've read in a long time.

It also is a story filled with irony. The cat belonged to the campaign manager for Ken Aden, a Democrat running for a seat in the state's 3rd Congressional District. The word "liberal" was scrawled on the cat's body in paint, hinting that this was a "political hit."

If that proves to be the case, then it appears the perpetrator supports Republican incumbent Steve Womack. You probably will not be shocked by what we've learned about Womack's political credentials.

murphymom

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Friday January 20, 2012 · 11:21 AM PST

2012/01/20 · 11:21

Newt Gingrich this week called Barack Obama a "food stamps" president and said he wants to help poor people learn "learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job, and learn someday to own the job."

Kos readers probably will not be surprised to learn that Newt, once again, made a horse's hind end of himself. How did he do it this time? Well, he said poor people need to learn how to "own the job" when, in fact, most Americans cannot (by law) "own" their jobs.

murphymom

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Tuesday January 17, 2012 · 9:46 AM PST

2012/01/17 · 09:46

I never cease to be amazed by the conservative press. Here in Alabama, where I live, we have an explosive story unfolding. It involves a retired fourth-grade teacher named Daniel M. Acker Jr. who has confessed to molesting 21 girls over roughly two decades.

This all happened in Shelby County, a Republican stronghold just south of Birmingham. The Birmingham News, our staunchly conservative metro daily, now is voicing outrage about the Acker situation. But this is the same newspaper that has been ignoring wrongdoing in the suburban, GOP enclave for years.

And get this: A school superintendent tried to take aggressive action, but she was overruled by a school board when "church people" came out of the woodwork to protect Acker.

Talk about irony.

murphymom

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Wednesday January 11, 2012 · 9:38 AM PST

2012/01/11 · 09:38

A vaccine-development company in Birmingham, Alabama, has taken a major step toward a possible contraceptive for dogs and cats.

Vaxin Inc. received a $1-million grant that scientists hope will move them closer to an alternative to spaying and neutering pets.

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Siegelman Judge Faces Divorce Complaint That Includes Allegations of Extramarital Affairs, Drug Use

Wall Street Darling Ted Rollins Once Was Convicted of Assault on His Stepson

Is Blue Cross Driving Up Costs By Stifling Competition?

Trayvon Martin Redux: Black Man In Hoodie Is Beaten In Alabama

Author and Environmental Activist Faces Death Threats

The Sexual Abuse of Boys Has Reached New Levels of Perversity

Why Are Democrats Giving Up on Court Races in Some States?

Don Siegelman Receives Support From George Will

Did Cat Killer Support A "Pro Life" Republican?

News Flash for Newt Gingrich: Americans Do Not "Own" Their Jobs

Did a Conservative Newspaper Help Pave the Way for a Serial Child Molester?

Birth Control For Your Dogs and Cats Might Not Be Too Far Away