Valdimir Putin of Russia with Prime Minister Modi of India
By Rédaction Africanews
The leaders of South Africa, India and China arrived on Tuesday for the Brics summit of emerging economies.
The meeting will see president Vladimir Putin host more than 20 heads of state. It’s a move that subverts expectations that Russia’s war in Ukraine, western sanctions and an international arrest warrant would isolate Russia on the world stage. The meeting has been dubbed by the Kremlin as one of the “largest-scale foreign policy events ever” in Russia.
Commonly referred to as a counterbalance to the Western World, the BRICS alliance initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Egypt, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have since joined, and according to Russian officials, 30 nations also want to be included or pursue stronger bonds with the club. Some of these countries will be at the summit.
Together, the BRICS countries account for around 28 percent of the global economy. Share
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Vice President Kamala Harris raised concerns about Donald Trump’s ongoing racist rhetoric during a virtual town hall with radio host Charlamagne tha God, suggesting the former president intends to use fear as a tool to target minority communities. Harris responded to a voter from Georgia who feared Trump would use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to detain people of color. “Bobby,” the voter, expressed worry that Trump would “put anyone that doesn’t look white in camps.”
“You’ve hit on a really important point and expressed it, I think, so well,” Harris said. “He is running full-time on a campaign that is about instilling fear. Not about hope, not about optimism, not about the future, but about fear.”
Harris went on to criticize Trump’s claims that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating their pets. She also accused him of sabotaging a bipartisan border security bill that would have added border agents and targeted fentanyl trafficking. “He would prefer to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem,” Harris stated.
Democratic strategist James Carville earlier voiced his concerns, comparing Trump’s tactics to those of Nazi Germany. Speaking on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki, Carville warned that Trump’s planned rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27 was reminiscent of a pro-Nazi event held there in 1939. During that rally, which drew 20,000 supporters, swastikas were displayed alongside a portrait of George Washington, while speakers promoted anti-Semitic views.
Carville cautioned Americans about the dangers of another Trump presidency: “They’re telling you they’re doing all of this. This is not something we’re making up. They have promised military round-up.” He emphasized the Harris campaign’s need to clarify the severe threats Trump could pose.
Trump recently stated on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures that he might deploy the National Guard or military forces to prevent “radical left lunatics” from causing unrest on Election Day. “It should be very easily handled by, if necessary, the National Guard, or if really necessary, the military,” he said.
Others have echoed Carville’s concerns. In June, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow questioned whether camps under a Trump administration would be limited to migrants, saying, “What convinces you that these massive camps he’s planning are only for migrants?”
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal has called on Madison Square Garden to cancel Trump’s rally, stating, “Allowing Trump to hold an event at MSG is equivalent to the infamous Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1939.” He urged the venue to “keep our city safe.”
With three weeks until Election Day, Carville made his final plea: “Pay attention to them right now, please. They’re telling you.”
By: Mary Claire Wooten, Alabama Political Reporters
Lilly Ledbetter, a notable women’s equality activist, died on Saturday at 86. According to her family, Ledbetter died of respiratory failure.
Ledbetter worked at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Gadsden for 19 years before receiving an anonymous note and discovering that her male counterparts with similar experience and seniority were paid as much as $2,000 more monthly for their work. She had worked there from 1979 until her retirement in 1998.
She successfully sued Goodyear, receiving back pay and the cost of compensatory and punitive damages. Still, the judgment was reversed on appeal by the Eleventh Circuit since she had not filed within the 180-day window.
The lawsuit eventually reached the Supreme Court in 2007, which ruled against her. The Supreme Court upheld the appeal court ruling that Ledbetter had not filed the suit within the 180-day window. As a result, Ledbetter never collected any kind of settlement from Goodyear. In a dissenting opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote, “once again, the ball is in Congress’s court.” This ignited activist groups, who saw the court’s decision as a setback for women and civil rights
In 2009, the 111th United States Congress passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to make filing pay discrimination claims easier. It was the first bill then-President Barack Obama signed into law after taking office in 2009.
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act allows workers to file a complaint 180 days after the last pay violation and not only 180 days after the initial pay disparity.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The five men wrongfully convicted in the 1989 Central Park assault case, known as the “Exonerated Five,” have filed a defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump after he made false statements during a September 10, 2024, presidential debate. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Pennsylvania, claims that the 34-times convicted Trump falsely asserted they had “pleaded guilty” to the crime and falsely stated they “killed a person ultimately” during the assault, claims that have widely been debunked.
Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Yusef Salaam—who spent years in prison before their 2002 exoneration—accuse Trump of defaming them, painting them in a false light, and intentionally inflicting emotional distress by continuing to spread falsehoods about their case. The lawsuit references Trump’s debate comments, which were broadcast to millions of viewers, as particularly harmful given the ongoing efforts by the men to rebuild their lives after their wrongful convictions.
While Trump has lashed out at the innocent men, the twice-impeached former president is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of 34 felony charges in New York. A civil jury also found Trump guilty of sexually assaulting a journalist, and a judge levied a verdict of nearly $500 million against the Republican presidential nominee for committing massive business fraud.
The court filing provides a detailed account of Trump’s decades-long association with the case, beginning in 1989 when he famously took out full-page ads in New York City newspapers calling for the death penalty in response to the arrests of the five teens. The lawsuit notes that, despite the exoneration of the five men based on DNA evidence and the confession of the actual perpetrator, Matias Reyes, Trump has continued to make inflammatory and false remarks about their guilt.
“Plaintiffs never pled guilty to any crime and were subsequently cleared of all wrongdoing. Further, the victims of the Central Park assaults were not killed,” the lawsuit states, pointing to the fact that the actual perpetrator’s confession and DNA evidence absolved the men of all charges. The lawsuit also notes that Trump’s remarks were made negligently, with knowledge of their falsity or reckless disregard for the truth.
The men, now in their 50s, have since become advocates and public figures, working to address the injustice they suffered. Yusef Salaam, a New York City Council member, was present at the September 10 debate and later confronted Trump in person. When Salaam introduced himself, Trump reportedly waved him off, saying, “Ah, you’re on my side then,” to which Salaam replied, “No, no, no, I’m not on your side.”
The lawsuit asks for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages with a focus on the emotional harm and damage to Trump’s reputation that his repeated lies have caused. “These statements have caused the plaintiffs serious reputational damage and severe emotional distress, especially given their wrongful convictions and efforts to move past this chapter of their lives,” the filing states.
In 2002, the men were exonerated after DNA evidence linked Reyes, a serial rapist, to the assault on a female jogger in Central Park. Their convictions were vacated, and the City of New York ultimately paid the men a $41 million settlement in 2014. Despite these facts, Trump has maintained his stance.
“Trump’s statements were false and defamatory in numerous respects,” the lawsuit asserts. “The exoneration of the plaintiffs is a matter of public record, yet Trump’s continued public statements attempt to rewrite history and cast doubt on their innocence.”
The lawsuit also draws attention to Trump’s previous statements, including a 1989 ad in which he called for the death penalty and a 2013 tweet where Trump referred to the exoneration as a “one-sided piece of garbage” and continued to imply their guilt. Despite overwhelming evidence proving their innocence, Trump’s remarks have perpetuated misinformation, resulting in ongoing harm to the plaintiffs, the filing states.
Grandparents with Grandchild – Central Indiana State of Aging
By Charlene Crowell
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – As Americans live longer, the ability to remain financially independent is an ongoing struggle. Especially for Black and other people of color whose lifetime incomes are often lower than that of other contemporaries, finding money to save for ‘old age’ is particularly daunting. According to the National Council on Aging, racial and ethnic minorities accounted for one in 4 adults aged 65 and older in 2022. In that same year, the average 65-year-old could expect to live another 18 years or longer, on a median income of $29,740. In 2022, the average yearly Social Security benefit for Black men ages 65 and older was $15,345, and for Black women was only $13,755. However, the average annual Social Security income for all 65 or older men was $18,910, and for all older women was $14,824. In past generations retiring workers often received a gold watch, pension, and company-sponsored health insurance. But today’s retirees face far different circumstances. With few remaining pensions available, most workers must look to themselves for financial security in their old age. And Social Security has become a financial lifeline. When enacted in 1935 during the throes of the Great Depression,Social Security was a ground-breaking federal social safety net for retirees. Financed by payroll taxes that began in 1937, both employees and their employers paid into the program. A 1939 amendment to the law expanded the program to include survivor benefits for retirees’ widows and children, commonly known today as SSI. In 1956 disability benefits were added in a second expansion. To compensate beneficiaries for rises in cost of living, an annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) began in 1975. Prior to 1972, only special acts of Congress could increase benefits. Today, more than 80 years later, 68 million retirees and 4.5 million other program participants recently learned that a 2.5 percent COLA increase will be added to their monthly checks – even lower than the 2.6 percent decade-long average computed by Social Security. For retirees, the increase will begin in January. SSI beneficiaries will receive their increase with their December 31 payment. Next year’s increase means the average retiree’s monthly $1,927 Social Security check will rise by $49. The monthly average for an elderly couple with both receiving benefits will be $3,089, from 2024’s $3,014 – a $75 increase. It is important to note that individual benefit levels are determined by a formula that uses a worker’s highest earnings over a 34-year career. Should Medicare’s 2025 rates increase as expected, the net increase to retiree checks will be even less. As the nation still struggles to cope with rising prices, the agency’s statement and those of elder advocates were polar opposites. “Social Security benefits and SSI payments will increase in 2025, helping tens of millions of people keep up with expenses even as inflation has started to cool,” said Martin O’Malley, Commissioner of Social Security. But according to AARP, when the projected Medicare increase is announced, most retirees will receive a net gain of only $10.20 in 2025. “[E]ven with the COLA, we know many older Americans who rely on Social Security may find it hard to pay their bills,” Jo Ann Jenkins, AARP’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Social Security is the primary source of income for 40 percent of older Americans.” AARP’s concerns are validated by findings in an April 2024 report from the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, entitled, Retirement Wealth by Race and Ethnicity: Differences, Trends and Contributing Factors. “Social Security provides a near-universal basic benefit, but many older adults, especially Black and Hispanic/Latino people and many people of other and multiple races and ethnicities, still struggle to meet the expenses they incur that are above those basic benefits because they have substantially fewer retirement savings, even after accounting for aspects such as education and income, than is the case for white households,” states the report.
Key findings from the report include:
White households with a college degree had a median retirement wealth of $273,500, compared to $160,323 for Hispanic/Latino households, and $119,000 for Black households with a college degree; and
Over the past three decades, Black and Hispanic/Latino households, as well as households of other or multiple races or ethnicities, owned on average between one-third and 60% of the retirement wealth of white households. There is no robust indication of those gaps becoming smaller.
These retiree racial wealth gaps are framed as elder poverty in another report, Who Counts as ‘Poor’ in America?, from the New York-based Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis.
“[I]magine being over 65 years old and trying to survive on $15,060 a year,” states the report. “According to official U.S. government poverty levels in 2024, one is considered “poor” in America – and thus qualifying for certain assistance – if their annual income is $15,060 or less for a single person, $31,200 for a family of four.”
The next Congress would be well-advised to get serious about the future solvency of Social Security. No one wants or should expect to become older and poorer.
Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.
The 30-year-old clocked a time of two hours, nine minutes and 57 seconds to surpass Ethiopian Tigst Assefa’s previous record by nearly two minutes.
Chepngetich is the first woman to run a marathon in under two hours and 10 minutes. Assefa set the previous record with victory at the 2023 Berlin Marathon in two hours, 11 minutes and 53 seconds.
“I feel so great, I’m proud of myself. This is my dream that has come true,” said Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion.
“I’ve fought a lot thinking about the world record and I have fulfilled it.” Victory for Chepngetich is her third in Chicago, where she missed out on breaking compatriot Brigid Kosgei’s then-world record by 14 seconds in 2022.
Four of the five fastest women’s marathon times have been run on the flat Chicago course over the last six years.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
TD Bank N.A. (TDBNA) and its parent company, TD Bank US Holding Company (TDBUSH), pleaded guilty to Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) violations and money laundering charges, agreeing to pay over $1.8 billion in penalties. The plea resolves a Justice Department investigation into the bank’s failure to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) requirements, including lapses in filing accurate Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs).
TDBNA admitted to conspiring to neglect its AML program and launder money, while TDBUSH pleaded guilty to causing TDBNA’s BSA compliance failures. The bank’s penalties stem from a coordinated resolution with the Federal Reserve Board (FRB), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
“By making its services convenient for criminals, TD Bank became one,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland remarked. He noted that TD Bank is now the largest US bank that has pleaded guilty to such charges and emphasized that the investigation remains active. “Today’s guilty plea…offers an unmistakable lesson: crime doesn’t pay—and neither does flouting compliance,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said.
The charges relate to long-term deficiencies in TD Bank’s AML program, spanning from January 2014 to October 2023. According to court documents, despite warnings, the bank failed to address significant risks and enforce necessary controls. Under a “flat cost paradigm,” the DOJ said the bank restricted compliance funding, leaving it vulnerable to money laundering activities involving trillions of dollars.
“These failures allowed corrupt bank employees to facilitate a criminal network’s laundering of tens of millions of dollars,” Principal Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri emphasized.
Additionally, US Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey described TD Bank’s actions as willful neglect. “The bank willfully failed to monitor trillions of dollars in transactions…allowing hundreds of millions of dollars from money laundering networks to flow through the bank,” Sellinger said.
From 2018 to 2024, TD Bank failed to monitor approximately $18.3 trillion in transactions, including automated clearinghouse (ACH) transactions and high-risk activities. The oversight facilitated over $670 million in money laundering through TD Bank accounts. According to reports, the bank allowed transactions to proceed unreported, even when suspicious.
The bank’s plea agreement includes a forfeiture of $452 million and a criminal fine exceeding $1.4 billion. As part of its AML program improvements, TD Bank will also retain an independent compliance monitor for three years. It reached additional agreements with the FRB, OCC, and FinCEN, with $123.5 million credited towards the FRB’s resolution.
TD Bank’s partial cooperation with the investigation earned it a 20% penalty reduction, although it did not receive full credit due to delays in reporting AML concerns. The Justice Department noted that TD Bank’s non-disclosure contributed to imposing a substantial fine. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division, the FDIC Office of Inspector General, and the DEA investigated the case with support from several law enforcement agencies, including the Morristown Police Department and US Customs and Border Protection.
The case was prosecuted by attorneys from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and US Attorneys from New Jersey. The Bank Integrity Unit, established to address BSA and AML violations in financial institutions, led the investigation, which forms part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative to disrupt high-level criminal organizations in the US.
“We have taken full responsibility for the failures of our U.S. [anti-money laundering] program and are making the investments, changes and enhancements required to deliver on our commitments,” said Bharat Masrani, group president and chief executive of TD Bank Group. “This is a difficult chapter in our Bank’s history. These failures took place on my watch as CEO and I apologize to all our stakeholders.”
The SPLC Action Fund has announced endorsements in two newly-drawn, majority-Black congressional districts in Alabama and Louisiana.
“For far too long, Alabama and Louisiana have unlawfully diminished the political power of Black voters through gerrymandering,” said Madison Hollon, program manager of political campaigns for the SPLC Action Fund.
“After years of advocacy and recent rulings affirming the right to fair representation in government, Black voters have the opportunity to show their political power and elect candidates who will best represent them in the halls of Congress. We are proud to endorse Shomari Figures in AL-02 and Cleo Fields in LA-06 to make history and usher in a new era of leadership in the Deep South.”
The SPLC Action Fund said it is backing Figures because he has dedicated his career to advocate for the people of Alabama through public service in all three branches of the federal government and is committed to expanding Medicaid, investing in education, growing Alabama’s workforce and economy and ending the gun violence epidemic.
The Action Fund recently released a poll showing growing enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket, including a double-digit lead for Figures in the race. However, the poll also showed that Figures still needs to win over undecided voters.
Figures has picked up endorsements from Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, who challenged Figures in a runoff for the nomination, and Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed.
His opponent, Republican nominee Caroleene Dobson, has garnered endorsements from Gov. Kay Ivey and U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama.
The general election is now less than a month away with polls opening on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Vice President Kamala Harris has unveiled an extensive agenda designed to dismantle systemic barriers and foster new opportunities for Black men across America. The agenda, announced on October 14, spotlights wealth-building, health equity, criminal justice reform, and expanded education and job training access. Her plan follows recent controversial remarks by former President Barack Obama, who addressed concerns about voter turnout among Black men and stressed the importance of participating in the election.
Obama’s comments in Pittsburgh were roundly criticized as scapegoating Black men, though he emphasized the high stakes of the 2024 election, noting that some African American males might hesitate to vote. He suggested that part of the reluctance could stem from discomfort with the idea of a woman president. Harris’s plan aims to address the specific needs of Black men, with initiatives focused on financial empowerment, healthcare, and education.
Forgivable Loans and Wealth Creation
Harris’s economic plan centers on wealth-building and supporting Black entrepreneurship. Her administration would provide one million forgivable loans, each up to $20,000, to help Black men and others who have faced significant barriers to starting a business. By partnering with community banks and mission-driven lenders, Harris aims to make capital accessible to Black entrepreneurs looking to launch or expand businesses in fields ranging from technology to landscaping and beyond.
Additionally, Harris has proposed a significant expansion of the Small Business Startup Tax Deduction, increasing it from $5,000 to $50,000, which would allow Black entrepreneurs to offset startup costs. She also plans to boost access to venture capital, low-interest loans, and incubators specifically for Black-owned businesses. Recognizing that Black entrepreneurs are frequently denied credit, Harris’s plan includes reforms to expand affordable banking services and crack down on hidden fees that inhibit wealth accumulation in Black communities.
Pathways to High-Demand Jobs and Expanded Education Access
Harris’s agenda promotes education, training, and mentorship programs to equip Black men with the skills needed to succeed in high-demand fields. Her plan emphasizes registered apprenticeships and credentialing programs, which would provide hands-on training for jobs in sectors like cybersecurity, renewable energy, and healthcare. She also seeks to eliminate unnecessary college degree requirements for 500,000 federal jobs, making these roles more accessible to Black men who may not have pursued higher education.
To increase the representation of Black male teachers—a crucial role model for young Black students—Harris said she plans to invest in teacher training programs through the Department of Education. By collaborating with HBCUs and MSIs, the Democratic presidential nominee hopes to build a pipeline for Black male educators, addressing the severe underrepresentation in this profession, where only 1% of teachers are Black men. Research has shown that Black students benefit academically and socially when they have Black male teachers, yet structural barriers have prevented many from entering the field. Harris also supports the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to attract and retain Black male teachers, ensuring they have a pathway to long-term careers in education.
Financial Protections in the Digital Economy
Harris’s plan includes protections for Black men who invest in cryptocurrency and other digital assets, acknowledging that over 20% of Black Americans have owned these assets. Among her goals is establishing a regulatory framework to safeguard digital investments, ensuring that Black men are protected as they participate in the burgeoning digital economy. The framework would set standards to protect investors from fraud and provide educational resources on digital asset management.
Health Equity and Addressing Medical Debt
Health equity remains a cornerstone of Harris’s agenda. She has introduced a National Health Equity Initiative focused on Black men, which would address high rates of chronic diseases like diabetes, prostate cancer, and sickle cell disease. Harris proposes capping insulin costs at $35 per month and limiting out-of-pocket expenses on prescription drugs to $2,000 annually. Additionally, she said she would expand funding for sickle cell research and build a national database to improve prevention and treatment.
To tackle the burden of medical debt, which disproportionately affects Black men, Harris proposes removing medical debt from credit reports and working with states to relieve outstanding medical debt. The effort would help Black men access better credit, opening doors for homeownership and business financing.
Criminal Justice Reform and Economic Opportunities in Legal Cannabis
The vice president also has committed to legalizing recreational marijuana at the federal level, which she argues will reduce incarceration rates for Black men and create economic opportunities in the emerging cannabis industry. By working with Congress to ensure the safe cultivation, distribution, and possession of marijuana, Harris would remove longstanding barriers that have disproportionately impacted Black men. Her plan would establish pathways for Black men to access licenses and jobs in the legal cannabis sector, providing a chance to build wealth in a market that has historically excluded them.
Affordable Housing, Homeownership, and Financial Literacy
Harris further proposes building three million affordable housing units during her first term to address the housing crisis. She would offer up to $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, aiming to triple the number of new Black homeowners annually by the end of her term. The initiative would specifically target those who have been unable to buy homes due to a lack of generational wealth, which disproportionately affects Black families.
Still, another facet of her plan would tackle racial bias in home appraisals, a pervasive issue that often results in undervalued properties in majority-Black neighborhoods. Her proposal would mandate training and accountability measures for appraisers to ensure that Black homeowners receive fair property valuations, helping to close the racial wealth gap.
Community Events and Outreach
As part of her outreach to Black men, the Harris-Walz campaign is launching several community-centered events. The “Black Men Huddle Up” initiative will feature NFL and NCAA watch parties in battleground states, where Black men can discuss the upcoming election and its implications for their communities.
In addition, the campaign will host a series of Economic Freedom Talks, with notable Black entrepreneurs discussing strategies for business growth and financial independence. Harris’s team is ramping up its Shop Talk series, Brother to Brother canvass events, and launching new testimonial ads to reach Black voters in states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan.
In Stark Contrast to Trump’s Agenda
Harris’s proposals directly counter Donald Trump’s Project 2025, which she argues would dismantle progress for Black communities. Trump’s plan includes: Reinstating stop-and-frisk practices. Cutting funding for urban education. Eliminating critical programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, which many Black families rely on.
Harris’s agenda seeks to offer Black men a comprehensive path to economic stability and success, positioning her as the candidate dedicated to addressing their unique challenges. Harris’s detailed plan appears to offer Black men a vision of leadership, opportunity, and economic empowerment, which she argues is essential for the future of Black communities. She believes investing in education, health, and wealth-building would help address systemic inequities and build a path to prosperity for Black men nationwide.
“Donald Trump could care less about equipping hardworking Americans with the tools needed to get ahead,” campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond stated. “While Vice President Harris is promising to equip Black men with the tools needed to pursue our dreams and aspirations, Donald Trump is promising Black men in America a national nightmare.”
The 11th Circuit Court’s Friday decision to block a key section of Alabama’s restrictive absentee voting law throws into sharp relief the deepening conflict between state governments pushing for tighter election laws and advocacy groups fighting to protect access to the ballot.
Senate Bill 1, passed earlier this year, is one of several efforts across Republican-led states to impose more stringent absentee voting rules, under the guise of preventing election fraud. But once again, those hit hardest by these so-called “fraud prevention” measures are the very people who need the most help navigating the voting process. The decision in Alabama NAACP v. Attorney General of Alabama denied Alabama’s request to put on hold an earlier court order.
The contested section of Alabama’s law, now temporarily blocked, made it a felony for individuals assisting with absentee ballot applications to receive any form of compensation—even food or gas money—or to distribute or submit prefilled
applications. The provision would have disproportionately affected disabled, blind, or illiterate voters, many of whom rely on help to exercise their most fundamental right.
By upholding the block, the court reaffirmed what voting rights advocates have been saying all along: these provisions aren’t about election integrity—they’re about making it harder for certain voters to cast their ballots.
Chief U.S. District Judge David Proctor, who initially issued the injunction in September, argued that the law placed “undue burdens on voters already at a disadvantage.” The 11th Circuit agreed, affirming that the blocked provisions went beyond election security and actively restricted voter access, particularly for those with disabilities.
Advocacy groups such as the ACLU of Alabama, Legal Defense Fund, and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program hailed the decision as a victory for voting rights. For these groups, the ruling is more than a procedural win—it’s a lifeline for voters who would have been disenfranchised by a law they believe violated the Voting Rights Act. Many blind and disabled voters, in particular, depend on assistance from family, friends, or voter outreach volunteers. Without such help, their voices could be silenced.
But Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, supported by attorneys general from Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas, has been resolute in defending the law. According to Marshall, the restrictions are essential for preventing fraudulent practices like “ballot harvesting.” The court, however, was not swayed, concluding that the law overreached and instead restricted legitimate forms of voter assistance.
The battle over Senate Bill 1 is just one skirmish in a much larger war over voting rights. Across the nation, similar laws are facing legal challenges, illustrating a deep national divide over how best to secure elections while protecting voter access. Civil rights groups argue that laws like Alabama’s will inevitably lead to voter suppression, particularly among marginalized and vulnerable populations.
While the court’s ruling provides temporary relief for voters in Alabama, the legal fight is far from over. Marshall may appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the lower court’s injunction and fully implement the law. Should the high court take up the case, the decision could have far-reaching consequences, potentially affecting absentee voting laws across the country.
The 11th Circuit did, however, uphold several key provisions of SB1, including the law’s ban on curbside voting, witness requirements for absentee ballots, and strict voter ID provisions.
For now, the injunction remains in effect, and advocacy groups can continue assisting disabled and blind voters without fear of prosecution. But the broader implications of this case loom large. The ruling could serve as a precedent for how courts across the country interpret the balance between election security and voter accessibility. As Alabama heads toward future elections, all eyes will be on this legal battle to see how it shapes the national conversation on voting rights.
