MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Ruling in the case of a Black pastor who was arrested while watering his neighbor’s flowers, the Alabama Supreme Court said police can demand to see identification during a stop if they are dissatisfied with a person’s verbal answers.

Justices issued the 6-3 decision last week after a federal judge presiding over a lawsuit about Michael Jennings’ 2022 arrest asked the court to clarify whether officers can demand to see a person’s identification under the state’s “stop-and-identify” law. The minister was arrested when he declined to show Childersburg police identification.

Justice Will Sellers wrote that state law, “does not exclude from its purview a request for physical identification when a suspect provides an incomplete or unsatisfactory response to an officer’s demand to provide his or her name and address and an explanation of his or her action.”

In May 2022, officers questioned Jennings in his neighbor’s yard. Another neighbor had called 911 because she saw an unfamiliar car and a “young Black male” around the house. Officers who responded found Jennings watering flowers and asked what he was doing.

Jennings identified himself as “Pastor Jennings” and told officers that he lived across the street and was caring for his neighbor’s yard while they were vacationing. Officers asked to see his identification and Jennings refused, saying he hadn’t done anything wrong. The woman who called 911 also later identified Jennings as another neighbor.

Jennings was charged obstructing a government operation. The charge was later dismissed.

Jennings sued the city and the officers for false arrest. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, but the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision. U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor then asked the state Supreme Court to determine whether the state law prohibits an officer from demanding identification if the person gives an incomplete or unsatisfactory response to questions.

Matthew Cavedon, director of the Cato Institute’s Project on Criminal Justice, said the decision is a “significant expansion of government power over people.”

The Cato Institute and the American Civil Liberties Union had written an amicus brief in the case arguing the statute does not authorize any demands for physical identification. Cavedon said the case centers on what happens if a person gives an answer that the officer doesn’t find satisfactory.

“The significance now for Alabamians is if an officer’s not satisfied with whatever answer you give, I sure hope you’ve got your driver’s license or passport on you,” he said.

With the NCAA tournament just days away, Alabama will likely be without one of its most important players.

Junior guard Aden Holloway was arrested Monday after authorities allegedly found over a pound of marijuana during a narcotics search at a Tuscaloosa residence, according to multiple sources.

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Holloway, 21, was charged with first-degree possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp. Authorities also found drug paraphernalia and cash during the search.

Holloway was bonded out of Tuscaloosa County jail at 10:45 a.m. central time, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, with bond set at $5,000.

Just days before their start in the NCAA Tournament, the Alabama Crimson Tide is dealing with an off-court legal issue with one of its starting players. 

Guard Aden Holloway was arrested on Monday for possession of marijuana, said Stephanie Taylor, a Tuscaloosa Police Department spokesperson, to the New York Post. 

The spokesperson said more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash were found after agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force conducted a search of a residence on Monday morning. 

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Holloway, 21, was arrested and charged with first-degree possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp. He was transported to Tuscaloosa County jail on Monday at 9:48 a.m. and later released at 10:45 a.m. His bond was $5,000. 

It is currently unclear if the Crimson Tide will be disciplining Holloway before they take on Hofstra in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Tampa, Florida. 

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The Crimson Tide went 23-9 this season, earning them a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region, where they hope to get off on the right foot against the No. 13 Pride, which went 24-10 this year, at Benchmark International Arena. 

Holloway was a key piece of Alabama’s success this season, averaging 16.8 points per game as the team’s second-leading scorer. His last game, an SEC Tournament quarterfinals loss to Ole Miss last Friday, saw him drop 18 points in the 80-79 defeat. 

The Crimson Tide come into the tournament as one of the more successful squads of late, winning nine of their last 11 games. This is the time of year to get hot, and Holloway has played a part in that recent stretch. 

It’s worth noting that, as of June 2024, the NCAA Division I Council removed marijuana from its banned substances list for championships and postseason football. 

Holloway is in his third season with the Crimson Tide, where he returned to the starting role he had during his freshman year in the 2023-24 campaign. 

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Holloway shot 48.1% from the field, as well as 43.8% from three-point territory, while dishing out 3.8 assists and grabbing 2.8 rebounds per game. 

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