US House approves Mo Brooks’ bill to name Athens post office after ‘Scottsboro Boys’ judge
A bill that would name an Athens, Ala. post office to posthumously honor a former Alabama judge has passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. House approved H.R. 6513, to designate the United States Postal Service Office located at 1110 West Market Street in Athens, Alabama, as the “Judge James E. Horton, Jr. Post Office Building,” Alabama 5th District U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks described Horton and why he was worthy of having a post office named in his honor. “Judge James Edwin Horton was born in Limestone County, Alabama on January 4, 1878. Despite having no formal education until he was eight or nine, Judge Horton was accepted to Vanderbilt University’s medical studies program and, later, to Cumberland University where he earned his bachelor and law degrees. Judge Horton served in the Alabama State Legislature until he took a Limestone County, Alabama chancery court position. Thereafter, he was elected circuit court judge for Alabama’s Eighth Judicial Circuit. After reelection to a second term, Judge Horton was appointed to preside over the retrials of the highly controversial and nationally renowned ‘Scottsboro Boys’ cases,” explained Brooks. Brooks continued, “By way of background, the ‘Scottsboro Boys’ cases involved nine African Americans, ages 13 to 20, accused of raping two white women on a train in 1931 as it traveled through Scottsboro and Jackson County, Alabama. In the first trials, eight of nine defendants were found guilty and sentenced to death, a verdict later reversed by the United States Supreme Court. After a guilty verdict and death sentence during the second set of Scottsboro Boys trials, Judge Horton bravely issued an order setting aside the jury’s guilty verdict against Haywood Patterson and ordered a new trial. In 2013, the Scottsboro Boys were formally pardoned under Alabama law.” “For his bravery in the face of extreme racial prejudice and for his willingness to support justice that risked and ended his judicial career, Judge Horton deserves the posthumous honor of having the Athens, Alabama Post Office named for him, and it is appropriate that his legacy be held up as a guide for future generations,” Brooks concluded. Notably, every other member of Alabama’s House Delegation cosponsored the bill.
Postal Service: More financial loss as mail delivery slumps
The U.S. Postal Service is reporting another quarterly loss. That’s because strong gains in package deliveries were outweighed by an unrelenting decline in mail volume and the costs of its health care and pension obligations. The financial report released Friday comes amid sharp criticism from President Donald Trump, who says the Postal Service is being scammed out of billions by Amazon and other online retailers. The Postal Service is seeking greater freedom to raise stamp prices to help cover costs. It warns of a weak financial situation that demands attention to allow for much-needed investments in package delivery in the e-commerce age. The Postal Service report shows a net loss of $1.3 billion between January and March, larger than a $562 million loss in the same period last year. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
House passes Terri Sewell’s bill to rename Selma post office after civil rights legend Amelia Boynton Robinson
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Tuesday to officially name a Selma USPS post office after the late civil rights legend Amelia Boynton Robinson. H.R. 4777, a bill authored by Alabama 7th District U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, next goes to the Senate for approval. A time frame for passage there is uncertain. The bill would designate the post office at 1301 Alabama Avenue in Selma as the “Amelia Boynton Robinson Post Office Building.” Boynton Robinson was a voting rights pioneer and a leader in the American Voting Rights Movement in Selma. She was among those beaten during the voting rights march across Selma’s Edmund Pettus bridge in March 1965 — a day that became known as “Bloody Sunday.” In 1990 she was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Freedom. Boynton Robinson died Aug. 26, 2015, at 104 years old. “I was delighted that the House of Representatives passed my legislation to name the Selma Post Office after Voting Rights Activist Amelia Boynton Robinson,” said the bill’s sponsor Rep. Sewell. “Mrs. Boynton Robinson was known as the matriarch of the voting rights movement. Her life and legacy epitomized strength, resilience, perseverance and courage — the same characteristics that embody the City of Selma where she made such a significant impact.” Sewell continued, “A trailblazer, Amelia Boynton Robinson also made history in 1964 as the first black woman to run for Congress from the State of Alabama. I know the journey I now take as Alabama’s first black congresswoman was only made possible because of her courage, tenacity and faith. As a daughter of Selma, I am honored to sponsor this legislation, and I can think of no more deserving person to name the Selma post office after than Amelia Boynton Robinson. She truly represents the heart, spirit and essence of Selma.” Mayor George Evans of Selma was also pleased to see the bill pass the House, stating, “I am delighted that Congresswoman Sewell’s bill passed with such overwhelming support. Amelia Boynton Robinson put herself and her family’s lives at risk and this is a long overdue honor and I am in support of naming the post office after her.”
