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The Alabama supreme court justices behind IVF ruling

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The Alabama supreme court justices behind IVF ruling


On February 16, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos have the same legal rights as children in a move that immediately led the state’s largest hospital to pause in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.

The judgment by nine Republican justices was unanimous in then concluding that “unborn children are children.” This means that the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act applies to “all children, born and unborn, without limitation.” It is standard practice in IVF treatment for multiple embryos to be fertilized, with just one returned to the women’s womb and the others discarded.

As a result, clinics across Alabama put IVF treatments on hold; Gabrielle Goidel, who was just days away from retrieving her embryos after spending $20,000 in the hope of a child, told CNN that she had never “been this stressed in her life.”

A number of Republicans hit out at the ruling, including Donald Trump, by some margin the favorite for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. He offered strong support for IVF treatment in a post on his Truth Social website.

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Newsweek has created a brief summary of the nine Alabama Supreme Court justices who made the controversial ruling.

Chief Justice Tom Parker

Tom Parker was elected as an associate justice to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2004 and became chief justice in 2018.

The Montgomery native studied at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, before becoming a doctor of law at Vanderbilt University School of Law in Nashville, Tennessee.

Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Parker served as Alabama’s deputy administrative director of courts and also operated as a legal adviser to the chief justice.

Associate Justice Greg Shaw

Greg Shaw joined the Alabama Supreme Court in 2009 and was reelected in 2014, then again in 2020.

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Born in Birmingham, Shaw studied at Auburn University, followed by Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, after which he was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 1982.

Shaw is married to Dr. Nicole Shaw, and the couple have two sons. They are both members of the Auburn United Methodist Church.

Associate Justice A. Kelli Wise

Alisa Kelli Wise was first elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2010 after which she was reelected in 2016 and 2022. Previously, she served as presiding judge of the court of criminal appeals and was the youngest women ever to serve on the court when first elected.

Raised on her family’s farm as a fifth-generation Alabamian, Wise received an undergraduate degree from Auburn University, then became a doctor of law at Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law.

Wise and her husband, Arthur Ray, a former Montgomery County District Court Judge, are both members of St. James United Methodist Church.

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The nine justices of the Alabama Supreme Court pose in a group photo. On February 16, the court sparked controversy by ruling embryos have the same legal rights as children.

Alabama Judicial System

Associate Justice Tommy Bryan

Tommy Bryan was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2012 and sworn in the following day. In 2018, he was reelected to the court without opposition.

Raised on a family farm in Crenshaw County, Bryan was educated at Troy University. He then studied at Jones School of Law.

Before being elected to the Alabama Supreme Court, Bryan served on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. He lives in Montgomery and attends the city’s First Baptist Church.

Associate Justice William B. Sellers

William Sellers, a specialist in tax litigation, was appointed to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2017 by Governor Kay Ivey to fill a vacancy.

He received a bachelor degree from Hillsdale College before studying for his juris doctorate at the University of Alabama and receiving a masters of laws in taxation from New York University in 1989. Before entering public service, Sellers practiced law for 28 years.

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Sellers has been married to his wife for 35 years, and the couple have three children. They are both members of the Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Associate Justice Brady E. Mendheim, Jr.

Brady E. Mendheim, Jr. was appointed to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2018 by Governor Kay Ivey to fill a vacancy, before which he had served as a circuit judge for the 20th Judicial Circuit (Henry and Houston Counties) since 2009.

He was educated at Auburn University and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. Mendheim, Jr. is married and has three sons. Both he and his wife are members of First Baptist Church of Dothan.

Associate Justice Sarah Hicks Stewart

In 2018, Sarah Hicks Stewart was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court, having previously served as a circuit judge in Mobile for 13 years, dealing with both criminal and civil cases.

Before joining the circuit bench in 2006, she spent 14 years in private practice, following her graduation from Vanderbilt Law School in 1992.

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Stewart is married with three children and is active with Ashland Place Methodist Church.

Associate Justice Jay Mitchell

James ‘Jay’ Mitchell was first elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2018, prior to which he worked as an attorney for Maynard, Cooper & Gale.

Born in Mobile, he graduated from Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Virginia School of Law, and also holds a master of arts from University College in Dublin, Ireland.

A member of Church of the Highlands, Mitchell is married and has four children.

Associate Justice Gregory Carl Cook

Gregory Cook is the newest member of the Alabama Supreme Court, having been elected to the position in 2022.

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He studied at Duke University before joining the United States Air Force where he reached the rank of captain. In 1991, Cook graduated from Harvard Law School, after which he went into private practice for 31 years.

Since 1991, Cook has been a member of the Dawson Memorial Baptist Church and he is married with three children.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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Former Alabama player allegedly impersonated Michael Penix, Xavier McKinney, David Njoku in loan scam

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Former Alabama player allegedly impersonated Michael Penix, Xavier McKinney, David Njoku in loan scam


If you think a story about a cabinet secretary cutting the penis off of a dead raccoon is the craziest thing you’ll hear all day, think again.

Actually, it’s hard to top the raccoon penis thing.

In any event, Daniel Kaplan recently reported for the Guardian on the case of Luther Davis. He’s a former member of the Alabama football team. More recently, he allegedly scammed lenders out of nearly $20 million, in part by impersonating a trio of NFL players: Michael Penix Jr., Xavier McKinney, and David Njoku.

Per the report, Davis plans to plead guilty later this month on charges based on allegations that he “obtained at least thirteen fraudulent loans totaling more than $19,845,000.” Of the amount, $11.6 million was obtained by pretending to be Penix, McKinney, and Njoku.

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Davis allegedly worked with CJ Evins to secure the loans. Evins also plans to plead guilty.

As Kaplan explains it, the scheme began with the registration in Georgia of fake companies with names closely related to the players’ names or initials. Then, bank accounts and fraudulent email accounts were opened. Next, Davis and Evins secured fake identification documents for the players. At that point, they contacted loan brokers, providing fabricated documents.

Then came the kicker — Davis would attend the loan closings disguised as the player. The effort included makeup, wigs, and (when Davis was impersonating Penix) a durag.

The only connection by the players to the scam is that they had their identities stolen.

The fake loan obtained in McKinney’s name became the subject of civil litigation between the lender and the broker. A trial is set for July 2026.

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Cardinals hosted Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor on top 30 visit, per report – Arizona Sports

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Cardinals hosted Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor on top 30 visit, per report – Arizona Sports


The Arizona Cardinals hosted Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor for a top 30 visit on Wednesday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport adds Proctor has met with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

The 6-foot-7, 352-pound Proctor is coming off his third and final season at Alabama, appearing in 15 games for the Crimson Tide.

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He was impressive these past two seasons, allowing just five sacks and seven quarterback hits in 26 games played, per Pro Football Focus. For his efforts, he was named co-winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, which is given to the SEC’s top offensive lineman. Proctor was also a finalist for the Lombardi Award, which is handed down to the nation’s top lineman.

At the NFL Draft Combine, he ran a 5.21-second 40-yard dash and posted a 32.5-inch vertical and 25 bench press reps.

Proctor is getting a lot of late first-round love from draft analysts this offseason. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has the tackle heading to the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 23 overall pick in his seven-round mock draft published Wednesday.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., meanwhile, has Proctor going as high as No. 12 to the Cleveland Browns following a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.

Which other OT prospects have met with the Cardinals this draft cycle?

The Cardinals have also reportedly hosted Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan and Florida’s Austin Barber on top 30 visits this offseason.

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Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor also had a local visit with the franchise.






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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs bills to expand rural health care, promote healthier SNAP buys

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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs bills to expand rural health care, promote healthier SNAP buys


Gov. Kay Ivey has signed a package of bills into law aimed at expanding rural health care access in Alabama, increasing the availability of emergency medical services and encouraging healthier food choices for people who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

“In December, I announced Alabama’s participation in a new Trump Administration program funded by the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ passed by Congress to expand rural healthcare delivery,” Ivey said. “Not wasting a moment, I worked with legislative leaders this session to remove legal barriers to ensure healthcare providers are able to work together to improve healthcare delivery in our rural areas. We have also freed first responders to deliver more life-saving services during ambulance calls, and we have joined other states in streamlining approval of out-of-state physician assistants to practice in Alabama. We are promoting healthier diets for Alabama SNAP beneficiaries by restricting the purchase of sugary foods that contribute to obesity and diabetes. These efforts along with several other pieces of legislation lay a solid foundation as we partner with the Trump Administration in improving rural healthcare delivery to better meet the needs of the public.”

Among the measures Ivey highlighted is the Alabama Rural Health Antitrust Immunity Act (HB605), which provides limited antitrust protections intended to allow collaboration among health care providers to maximize efficiency and sustain and expand services in rural areas. The law allows activities that include shared clinical, administrative and support services; coordinated staffing arrangements; joint quality improvement initiatives; and the purchase and use of shared facilities and equipment.

Another bill, the Alabama Physician Assistant Licensure Compact (HB156), streamlines state license approval for out-of-state physician assistants to practice in Alabama. Under the legislation, Alabama becomes the 24th state to approve the compact, joining Tennessee and Arkansas in the South.

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Several new laws focus on emergency medical services. Treat in Place (SB269) allows ambulance operators to be paid for medical services performed on-site. Under current practice, Emergency Medical Services providers are not paid unless they transport a patient to the hospital, even if the patient does not require full emergency department or inpatient care. Removing the patient-transport mandate for reimbursement is expected to increase the availability of EMS care and reduce patient overcrowding in hospitals.

The Expansion of EMS Tuition Reimbursement Program (HB116) adds the Alabama Department of Public Health’s six regional Emergency Medical Services offices to the locations that can offer eligible instruction. Graduates would be required to complete a two-year service commitment to qualify for tuition reimbursement.

Accepting Military Training for EMS Licensure (HB182) requires the Alabama Department of Public Health to accept an applicant’s education, training and experience gained during U.S. military service as credit toward meeting state EMS license requirements.

Two bills address out-of-pocket costs for certain cancer screenings. Under HB300, beginning Jan. 1, 2027, no health benefit plan sold in Alabama will be able to impose a copayment or similar expense on an insured person for a supplemental breast examination or a diagnostic breast examination. Under SB19, beginning Oct. 1, 2027, no health benefit plan sold in Alabama will be able to impose a copayment, deductible, or similar expense on an insured person for prostate screening for men older than 50, or men at “high risk” who are older than 40.

Ivey also signed a measure tied to SNAP benefits. Ensuring Healthy Choices for SNAP Benefits (SB57) has Alabama joining 22 other states in requesting a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prohibit SNAP benefits from being used to purchase high-sugar candies and sodas.

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Another new law expands restrictions on nicotine use in public places. Indoor Vaping Restrictions for Public Places (SB9) extends the current ban on smoking cigarettes, pipes and cigars in a public space or in public meetings to include the use of a vaping device, electric cigarette or any other “electronic nicotine delivery system,” whether the e-liquid contains nicotine, THC or another substance.

In addition to the legislation, Ivey and the Alabama Legislature made appropriations for the Rural Health Transformation Program. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services this year awarded $203.4 million to Alabama for projects the state proposed to improve health care for rural residents.



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