Today is Alabama Day
On December 14, 1819, Alabama became a state. While not an official state holiday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) did issue a proclamation declaring Thursday – Alabama Day. “For 204 years, our great state has stood as a testament to the enduring spirit of her people. I am honored to proclaim today as Alabama Day,” the Governor said on X. Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL02) also recognized the historical significance of Alabama Day on his X account. “On this day 204 years ago, Alabama became the 22nd state in our union. Happy National Alabama Day!” Moore wrote. Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Richard Minor also posted about the day and included maps of the first judicial districts in the then-new state. “204 years ago today Alabama gained statehood,” Judge Minor wrote on X. “Before that, she was a territory. And to think, judicially we started with only 5 judicial circuits, and the 5 circuit judges made up the Alabama Supreme Court. And each had life tenure.” “On this day in 1819, Alabama was admitted to the Union, becoming the 22nd state in the U.S.A. Wishing all of our citizens a Happy Alabama Day!” said the Alabama Republican Party on X. “Happy National Alabama Day!” On this day in 1819, Alabama became the 22nd state to join the union,” Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-Selma) said on X. “Since then, the people of our state have played a pivotal role in shaping the history of our nation.” To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Most Republican appellate court incumbents win without an opponent as Democrats concede state appellate courts to the GOP
Major party qualifying ended on Friday. Four Republican Alabama Supreme Court Justices won election when no opponent – Republican or Democrat came forward. Justices Will Sellers, Tommy Bryan, and Jay Mitchell were all effectively re-elected as they face no Republican primary challenger. Write-in candidates are not allowed in party primaries. No attorney qualified for any of these races as a Democrat, so they are unlikely to face an opponent in the November general election. Chris McCool gave up his seat on the Court of Criminal Appeals to run for the open Place 1 associate supreme court justice seat. He also had no Republican or Democratic opponent qualify. On the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, Republican incumbent Judges Richard Minor and Bill Cole were both effectively re-elected when no Republican or Democratic opponent qualified for either race. Two Republicans: Rich Anderson and Thomas Govan, qualified for the open Place 2 seat that Chris McCool is leaving to run for Supreme Court. Both Govan and Anderson work in the Alabama Attorney General’s office. No Democrat qualified for that seat either, so Govan and Anderson’s race in the Republican primary on March 5 is likely to decide this race. On the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals incumbents Christy Edwards and Terry Moore were both effectively re-elected when qualifying ended without either facing any opposition. The only incumbent appellate judge in the state to face a challenger is Republican: Republican Chad Hanson at Place 2 on the Court of Civil Appeals is being challenged in the Republican primary by Stephen Davis-Parker. There are four candidates running for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Chief Justice Tom Parker, also a Republican, cannot run again due to the state’s arcane mandatory retirement age for judges provision. Associate Justice Sarah Stewart is giving up her place 1 seat on the court to run for Chief Justice. Former State Senator Bryan Taylor is also running for the office. Taylor is also a former legal counsel for Governors Kay Ivey and Bob Riley. On Friday, Montgomery attorney Jerry Michael Blevins also qualified to run for Chief Justice. Chief Justice is the only state appellate race that the Alabama Democratic Party is even contesting. Judge Greg Griffin will face the eventual Republican nominee for Chief Justice in the November general election. Griffin presently is a Circuit Court Judge in Montgomery’s Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court. Thirty years ago, Democrats dominated the Alabama appellate courts. That changed in 1994 when retired Judge Perry Hooper Sr. defeated incumbent Sonny Hornsby in a contested race for chief justice. In the years since, Republican fortunes have continued to improve. Only one Democratic candidate, Doug Jones in 2017, has won any statewide race since 2008, and no Democratic judicial candidate has won a statewide race since Sue Bell Cobb was elected Chief Justice in 2006. Democrats are hopeful that Judge Griffin can change their fortunes next year. There is still a slight possibility that an attorney could still qualify as an independent or third-party candidate for one of these offices. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com
Jim Hill endorses Supreme Court candidate Chris McCool
Judge Chris McCool spoke recently at a meeting of the St. Clair Republican Party meeting. McCool, a Republican, presently serves on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. He is running for an open spot on the Alabama Supreme Court. State Representative Jim Hill (R-Odenville), a former circuit judge and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced McCool. “He lives on the same farm he grew up on,” Hill said of McCool. “He has been married for thirty years and has four children. He is a former District Attorney.” “He graduated from the University of Alabama summa cum laude,” Hill said. “With those kinds of credentials, he could have gone to any of the biggest law firms in the country or gone to Wall Street. He didn’t go to Wall Street; he went back to Gordo.” “I wholeheartedly endorse him to be on the Alabama Supreme Court,” Rep. Hill said. McCool serves on the Court of Criminal Appeals with former St. Clair County District Attorney Richard Minor and former Jefferson County Judge Bill Cole. Cole was also in attendance, asking voters to reelect him to the Court of Criminal Appeals. “Judge Cole, Judge Minor, and I ran together for the Court of Criminal Appeals. Now they are three of my best friends,” McCool said. McCool said that Associate Justice Sara Stewart is running for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Tom Parker cannot run again because of the state’s judicial age limits. McCool explained, “Justice Sara Stewart is running for chief justice. I am running for the open associate justice position she is vacating.” “I was born on a farm ten miles north of Gordo,” said McCool. “I ran it when my daddy got sick. I still manage it.” “I started out in private practice in Gordo,” McCool said. “I was the only attorney in Gordo.” “I was a prosecutor for 24 years,” McCool explained. “I have prosecuted everything from capital murder to hunting from a public road.” McCool said that the game wardens insisted on bringing the hunting from a public road case to trial against his advice. They lost. “You aren’t going to win one of those in Lamar County,” McCool said. McCool said that his experience as a district attorney and an appellate judge means that when a criminal case comes before the Supreme Court, “We know what we are looking at. If I am elected, I will have the most expertise of any justice up there in the criminal system.” “This is why I am running,” McCool said. “I believe it is important that we have judges and justices that have a conservative judicial philosophy.” “You don’t need judges that go up there that will legislate from the bench,” McCool said. “The United States Supreme Court is kicking issues back to the state that should have been in the state legislatures from the beginning. One of these is the Dobbs decision.” “I believe in standing on what the law says – the black words on the page,” McCool said. “We have a good Supreme Court with a conservative judicial philosophy, and I want to keep it that way,” Republican qualifying begins on October 16. Contact Chairman Freddie Turrentine if interested in qualifying to run for a county office in 2024. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the St. Clair County Republican Party is in January. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Judge Richard Minor campaigns in Etowah County
On Saturday, Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Richard Minor addressed the Etowah County Republican breakfast meeting in Rainbow City. Minor is serving his first term in the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. “I am one of the five judges on the Court of Criminal Appeals,” Minor said. Minor said his legal career began “As a clerk as a senior at Auburn for then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.” Minor then got his law degree from Cumberland Law School at Samford University. He worked as a prosecutor in Tuscaloosa and Jefferson County before becoming an assistant district attorney in St Clair County. Minor was elected as District Attorney of St. Clair County. Minor explained that when Alabama became a state, there were five judicial circuits and five judges. “The five judges met together to comprise the Supreme Court to decide matters of law,” Minor said. “Today, there are 41 circuits and Bessemer,” Minor said. “Judges were appointed by the Legislature until after Reconstruction then became elected.” Minor explained that the first Supreme Court could consider points of law, not points of facts, as they ruled in the 1821 Fleming case, which was the first capital case before the Alabama Supreme Court. The Court of Criminal Appeals is similar. “If it is a question of fact, we can’t hear the case,” Minor said. The Criminal Court of Appeals can consider “just questions of law.” The (Alabama) Supreme Court can consider appeals based on fact. “The appellate rights we have today come from the legislature,” Minor said. “After Reconstruction, the Supreme Court went from 5 to 7 judges. In 1911 the Legislature created the Court of Appeals. Minor said that the modern appellate court structure was set in 1969 by Governor Albert Brewer and the Legislature. There is a Court of Criminal Appeals and a Court of Civil Appeals with nine justices on the Supreme Court. “Mary Windom is the presiding judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals,” Minor explained. “Amy Lola Price was the first presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals,” Minor said. “She was a judge before women could serve on a jury.” “We handle between 1,100 and 1,600 appeals a year,” Minor said. “We are the fourth most active mid-level appeals court in the nation and the 11th most active appellate court in the country.” Minor explained that 11 of the 18 appellate court judgeships will be on the ballot in 2024. “I am on the ballot in March. So is Bill Cole,” Minor said. “There is an open seat on our court because Judge (Chris) McCool is running for Supreme Court.” “Two individuals out of the AGs office are campaigning for the (open) seat,” Minor said. Minor said that the Court of Criminal Appeals has such a large caseload because everyone convicted of a crime has a right to appeal in Alabama. “We don’t have the right to deny them the right to appeal like the Supreme Court does,” Minor said. “We have a 4 or 5% reversal rate.” “Sometimes the judge did something wrong,” Minor said. “Sometimes the sentencing is wrong.” Minor explained that there is an issue when a judge finds a defendant guilty of both a major felony and a Class D felony in how the sentencing of that felony is allowed to be run. Minor said it is important for defense counsels to raise an objection on a matter of law during the trial. “If defense council doesn’t make an objection, there is nothing you can do about it,” Minor explained. “Words mean something,” Minor said. “If the legislature put a certain word in a statute, it means something.” “At the Court of Criminal Appeals, even though if I don’t like the law, we can’t change them,” Minor said. “At the Supreme Court, they can change them.” An example of that is the year and a day rule. “That came over from England in the common law,” Minor explained. If a victim lives for a year and a day after the attack, the attacker cannot be charged with murder, but medical technology has changed a lot since then. “In 1986, the Supreme Court upheld the year and a day rule,” Minor continued. In a more recent case, the Alabama Supreme Court struck down the year and a day rule and allowed a murder trial to occur. “The Alabama Supreme Court can change it, but our court can’t,” Minor said. Another example occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. You have a right to face your accuser. “The judge allowed the witnesses to wear masks,” Minor said. “It was a 3 to 2 decision, me and McCool,” voted that it violated the right to face your accusers principle. “They only take about 3% of the cases that come out of the Court of Criminal Appeals,” Minor said of the Alabama Supreme Court. “They will normally take capital cases.” “Eleven of the eighteen appellate judges will be on the ballot in March,” Minor said. “I hope that you will consider voting for me, Judge Cole, and also Judge McCool, who is running for Supreme Court.” Minor was asked about soft-on-crime district attorneys who make unilateral decisions not to enforce certain Alabama laws. “There are certain things I can and can’t say because of the rules for judges,” Minor said. “The district attorney is elected. The people of the county elected whoever that individual is. If that is what they want, then that is what they get. Things that are done here and in St. Clair County are done very differently than in other counties because that is how we are set up.” “It does cause concern when someone has sworn an oath to follow the Constitution, both the U.S. and Alabama, and that individual says they won’t enforce a law that is on the books. If you want to change it, then run for the Legislature. Not enforcing it is bad law.” “In February 2025, we will elect a new presiding judge because we will have a new judge,” Minor said. “It won’t change Mary
AG Steve Marshall hosts 23rd Annual Alabama Law Enforcement Summit
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall hosted hundreds of law enforcement officials from all over the state of Alabama for the 23rd annual Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Summit on Thursday. The 2022 summit offered a day of instruction for police officers, sheriff’s offices, and State law enforcement officials. “With over 400 law enforcement agencies in Alabama, our men and women in uniform protect diverse communities with many different challenges,” said AG Marshall. “Each year, it is my honor to host the Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Summit to share best practices and new legal information with Alabama law enforcement. It is not only a unique educational opportunity but a much-anticipated time for personnel to get to know their counterparts from across the state.” During the six-hour Summit, officials were updated on Alabama criminal law, personally delivered by Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals judges Chris McCool and Richard Minor. McCool and Minor were district attorneys before their election to the Court. That was followed by an in-depth training session focused on “Leadership During a Crisis,” provided by former South Carolina police chief Byron Snellgrove, whose community was thrust into the national spotlight during the investigation of the disappearance of a six-year-old girl. There was also a commemoration for fallen officers who lost their lives in the line of duty since last year’s Summit. Marshall recognized the sacrifices of the following fallen officers: Senior Trooper Jason Lynn Vice of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), died on September 9, 2021, as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. Trooper Vice served 15 years with ALEA and was assigned to the Highway Patrol Unit at the Tuscaloosa-Selma Highway Patrol Post. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, sister, father, grandmother, and stepfather. Ider Police Chief Buddy Ray Crabtree died on October 30, 2021, from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. Chief Crabtree served with the Ider Police Department for ten years and had previously served with the Bridgeport Police Department. He is survived by his wife, four children, and eight grandchildren. Constable Madison “Skip” Nicholson of the Wilcox County Constable’s Office died on December 1, 2021, after being shot while responding to a domestic disturbance call in Yellow Bluff. Nicholson was a 40-year Wilcox County law enforcement veteran, having served as full-time and reserve deputy sheriff and an elected constable. He was previously wounded in the line of duty. He is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, and eight grandchildren. Investigator Steven Ray Finley of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office died on January 14, 2022, due to contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. Investigator Finley was a United States Army veteran and served with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office for 29 years. He is survived by his wife. Lieutenant Kevin Pounders of the Hanceville Police Department died on January 23, 2022, as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. Lt. Pounders was a United States Marine Corps veteran who served with the Hanceville Police Department for 24 years. He is survived by his wife, son, grandchild, and mother. Deputy Sheriff Steve Bobbitt of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office died on February 3, 2022, as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. Deputy Bobbitt served the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office for 13 years. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and one granddaughter. Corporal Keith Morgan of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office died on February 16, 2022, as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. Cpl. Morgan served with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office for 12 years. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. Sergeant Christopher Michael Vaughn of the Cedar Bluff Police Department died on April 1, 2022, from a medical condition after assisting in a vehicle pursuit that resulted in a vehicle crash. Sgt. Vaughn served with the Cedar Bluff Police Department for six years and previously served with the Leesburg Police Department for seven years. He is survived by his wife, two sons, parents, and brother. Officer Darryl Wayne Fortner of the Vestavia Hills Police Department died on April 6, 2022, from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. Officer Fortner served with the Vestavia Hills Police Department for over seven years and previously served 20 years with the Birmingham Police Department. He is survived by his wife, son, daughter, three grandchildren, mother, and sister. Deputy Sheriff J’Mar Colin Abel of the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office died on June 20, 2022, from a vehicle crash while assisting the Roanoke Police Department in pursuing a suspect. Deputy Abel lost his life on his second anniversary with the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office. He is survived by his father and fiancée. Deputy Sheriff Bradly Steven Henry Johnson of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office died on June 30, 2022, from a gunshot wound sustained the previous day while encountering a suspect who fired on Deputy Johnson and a second deputy. Deputy Johnson served with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office for eight years. He is survived by his fiancée, two children, and his parents. Officer Ivan Mauricio Lopez of the Mount Vernon Police Department died on August 22, 2022, when a vehicle driving approximately 90 mph ran a stop sign and struck his patrol car. Officer Lopez served with the Mount Vernon Police Department for 12 years. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. Corrections Officer Rickey Cooper of the Alabama Department of Corrections died on August 27, 2022, after collapsing while on duty at Easterling Correctional Facility. Officer Cooper served with the Alabama Department of Corrections since 2007 and would have completed 15 years on September 4. He is survived by his mother, son, and two grandsons. “As with much of the nation, Alabama continues to experience an increase in law enforcement deaths in recent years,” AG Marshall observed. “The commitment to protect and serve is absolutely vital to the long-term safety of our cities and towns, yet it also comes with great risk. Too many of our best in uniform have lost their lives on duty, leaving behind families and friends. Law enforcement is not only a protection force but also a very big family, and it is important for us to come together each year to honor those we have
Here’s everyone who the BCA has endorsed in the 2018 election cycle
The Business Council of Alabama (BCA), considers itself Alabama’s foremost voice for business. It is a non-partisan, statewide, business association representing the interests and concerns of nearly 1 million working Alabamians. The BCA works with the Alabama Legislature to promote “pro-business” reforms such as: Tax credits for small business Job creation Incentives for economic development Ethics reform Positive changes in our public education system Here are the candidates who the BCA has endorsed, who they believe will bring the best changes and initiatives for Alabama’s businesses: Statewide Races: Governor: Kay Ivey Lieutenant Governor: Twinkle Cavanaugh Attorney General: Steve Marshall Secretary of State: John Merrill State Treasurer: John McMillan Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries: Rick Pate Judicial Races: Chief Justice: Lyn Stuart Associate Justice Place 1: Sarah Stewart and Brad Mendheim Associate Justice Place 2: Tommy Bryan Associate Justice Place 3: Will Sellers Associate Justice Place 4: Jay Mitchell Court Of Civil Appeals Place 1: Christy Edwards Court Of Civil Appeals Place 2: Judge Terri Thomas Court Of Civil Appeals Place 3: Judge Terry Moore Court Of Criminal Appeals Place 1: Richard Minor Court Of Criminal Appeals Place 2: Chris McCool Court Of Criminal Appeals Place 3: Judge Bill Cole State Senate Races Senate District 2: Tom Butler Senate District 3: Arthur Orr Senate District 5: Greg Reed Senate District 7: Mary Scott Hunter Senate District 12: Del Marsh Senate District 13: Randy Price Senate District 14: Cam Ward Senate District 16: Jabo Waggoner Senate District 17: Shay Shelnutt Senate District 18: Rodger Smitherman Senate District 32: Chirs Elliott State House Races House District 3: Humphrey Lee House District 6: Andy Whitt House District 8: Terri Collins House District 9: Scott Stadthagen House District 13: Connie Rowe House District 14: Richard “Bull” Corry House District 27: Wes Kitchens House District 30: Craig Lipscomb House District 36: Randy Wood House District 39: TJ Maloney House District 40: K.L. Brown House District 41: Corley Ellis House District 42: Jimmy Martin House District 43: Arnold Mooney House District 44: Danny Garrett House District 45: Dickie Drake House District 46: David Faulkner House District 47: David Wheeler House District 48: Jim Carns House District 49: April Weaver House District 50: Jim Hill House District 55: Rod Scott House District 73: Matt Fridy House District 87: Jeff Sorrells House District 88: Jeremy Arthur House District 89: Marcus Paramore House District 96: Matt Simpson House District 102: Willie Gray
Get to know: Richard Minor, candidate for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals
Three seats on the five-seat court of Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals are up for election this year. Today’s candidate spotlight features St. Clair County District Attorney Richard Minor. Minor has served as the top prosecutor in St. Clair County since he was first elected in 2004. He’s running for Place 1 on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. With a little over four months until voters head to the ballots, AlabamaToday.com is inviting all candidates running for office in Alabama this year, to complete a questionnaire we believe offers an interesting, albeit, thumbnail sketch of who they are and why they are running. If you are a candidate and would like to complete the questionnaire, email Elizabeth@ALToday.com. Here Minor is in his own words: Significant other? How long married? Kids? I am married to Angela Callahan Minor of Pell City. We married in 2006. I have two daughters, Olivia (19) and Adyson (10), and one stepson Bailey (17). My wife and I also have have custody of our nephew Brad (18). Education background? Professional background? I am a 1993 graduate of the Cumberland School of Law, Samford University. While at Cumberland School of Law, I was a member of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy, a Cordell Hull Teaching Fellow and served as a Samford Senator. I graduated summa cum laude from Auburn University in 1990 with a B.A. in Criminal Justice.In 2004, I was elected District Attorney for St. Clair County. Prior to my election, I served as the Chief Trial Attorney in the St. Clair County District Attorney’s Office. I am currently in my thirteenth year as District Attorney and twenty-fourth year as a career prosecutor. Prior to serving as Chief Trial Attorney, I served as an Assistant District Attorney in Tuscaloosa County and Jefferson County as well as serving as an Assistant Attorney General in the Violent Crimes Division of the Office of the Attorney General under both Jeff Sessions, current US Attorney General, and Bill Pryor, Jr., a current judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.During my tenure as District Attorney from 2006-2011, I served as the Acting Attorney General and Special Prosecutor for the State of Alabama overseeing the State of Alabama’s interest in a joint federal and state investigation of public corruption in the Post Secondary System of Alabama. This investigation led to the conviction of the former Chancellor of Post Secondary, state legislators, and a multitude of others. I have had the honor to serve as President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer of the Alabama District Attorneys Association. Currently, I am appointed by the Chief Justice as a member of the State of Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure Committee. In addition, I currently serve on the Alabama Sentencing Commission Standards Committee, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Juvenile Justice & Delinquincy Prevention, the Governor’s Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition, the Board of Directors of VOCAL, and the United States Attorney’s Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee for the Northern District of Alabama. In the past, I served on the State of Alabama Pattern Jury Instructions (Criminal) Committee, the Review Committee for Alabama’s Protocol for the Examination and Treatment of Sexual Assault, and the Pell City Housing Authority. What was your first job before college/adulthood and after? My first job before college was serving ice cream at Baskin Robbins. In addition, I spent the summer before college working for my hometown painting fire hydrants and checking the nuts and bolts on all street signs. During law school, I served as a law clerk for then US Attorney Jeff Sessions in the Southern District of Alabama. During law school, I served as a paid law clerk in the United States Attorneys Office in Birmingham assigned to the Criminal Division and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.Upon graduation of Cumberland School of Law, I became an Assistant District Attorney for Tuscaloosa County where I was assigned to the District Court. After a short period of time, I was assigned to the West Alabama Narcotics Squad (WANS) where I prosecuted all felony drug offenses committed in Tuscaloosa County. In 25 words or less, why are you running for office? To offer the citizens an opportunity to have someone on the court who has 24 years of specializing in criminal law and who has followed the rule of law. That is, I am offering myself as a judge that will apply the law as it is written, not what it should be. In doing so, the people will have the opportunity to elect someone who has a proven conservative record and someone who will uphold the United States Constitution and founding principles of our Founding Fathers. Did you speak with anybody in your political party before deciding on running? Receive any encouragement? From whom? Before making my final decisions to run for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, I spoke to my family, close friends, and Judge Bill Pryor, Jr., Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Pryor is a former boss and someone whose opinion I deeply value. As someone with firsthand knowledge of running a statewide campaign and serving as an appellate judge, he provided valuable insight. Once I made my decision in late May 2017, I did call Chairwoman Terry Lathan of the Alabama Republican Party to tell her of my intentions. During the summer of 2017, I also spoke with members of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. Who do you count on for advice besides significant other or clergy? Other than my wife and pastor, the two people I count on most for advice are my father and my twin brother. Who is your political consultant? Campaign manager? My campaign consultant is Angi Horn Stalnaker. Who was the first person to contribute to your campaign? Why did they donate? My first contributor was my primary physician, Dr. Bill McClanahan. He understand the need that our elected officials have the utmost integrity and ethical standards. Furthermore, he understands the need for conservative judges who will follow the rule of law. That is, say what the law
