Donald Trump nominates Judge Andrew Brasher to 11th Circuit Appeals Court
President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated U.S. District Judge Andrew Brasher of Alabama to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The nomination comes just six months after Brasher was seated on the federal bench in Alabama. The White House announced the nomination in a news release. Senators in May voted 52-47 to confirm Brasher as a federal district judge. Brasher was Alabama’s solicitor general’s office in the Alabama attorney general’s office before joining the bench. The position put him in charge of appellate cases and other notable litigation, including defending Alabama’s legislative redistricting plan and an attempt to require abortion doctors to have hospital admitting privileges. Some of that work was cited by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and other groups earlier this year in opposing his nomination as a district judge. Brasher is a graduate of Harvard Law School. He served as a law clerk to Judge Bill Pryor of the 11th U.S. Circuit. Pryor is a former Alabama attorney general. “Judge Brasher distinguished himself as a legal scholar during his lengthy tenure as solicitor general of the State of Alabama, arguing and winning cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, and the Alabama Supreme Court,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a statement. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Robert Bentley appeals refugee lawsuit dismissal
Gov. Robert Bentley announced Tuesday the state will appeal a federal court’s dismissal of the governor’s lawsuit against the federal government over refugee placement. The governor’s office said the appeal was filed Tuesday with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta in the wake of his suit’s dismissal on July 29. “The District Court based its dismissal on a technicality, a finding that Alabama may not sue to enforce the Refugee Act,” Bentley said. “The District Court did not find that the federal government was fulfilling its obligations under the act.” Bentley he said he wants a court order to require the government to comply with its statutory obligations to consult with the state before placing refugees within its borders. “My problem is not with individual refugees, rather my issue is with the federal government and the unwillingness to enforce their own laws and follow their own procedures,” Bentley continued. “I will continue to fight this issue until the federal government is held accountable for its noncompliance and is properly including the states in this important decision-making as required by law.” In January, Bentley filed a lawsuit on behalf of the state of Alabama, stating federal officials are in violation of the Refugee Act of 1980, which he contends requires a consultation with states regarding the placement of refugees before those refugees are placed within its borders. This, despite the fact that U.S. Supreme Court precedent has held repeatedly that matters of immigration and asylum are the responsibility of the federal government. A judge had previously dismissed a similar lawsuit in Texas, ruling resettlements are federal decisions, and that the state isn’t entitled to pick and choose which refugees locate where.
Alabama judge nominated to 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
President Barack Obama has nominated an Alabama judge to fill a vacancy left in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a news release Thursday, Obama announced the nomination of Judge Abdul K. Kallon, a U.S. District Judge in the Northern District of Alabama, serving in Birmingham. Kallon was appointed to his current position by Obama in 2010. Obama praised Kallon, saying the Sierra Leone native has an extensive record of reaching fair decisions and will make for a strong addition to the appellate court. Kallon received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to his 2010 appointment, Kallon had a litigation and counseling practice, working on corporate civil defense matters. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
