Alabama House approves Aniah’s law aimed at denying bail for some offenders
Montgomery AL Feb 23 2021
The Alabama House of Representatives has passed legislation intended to give judges more authority to deny bail, a move that comes in response to the murder of college student Aniah Blanchard of Homewood in 2019.
The man charged in Blanchard’s death was out on bond after being charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, and robbery.
Lawmakers named the bill Aniah’s law. Blanchard’s mother, father, stepfather and stepmother all came to the State House last year to speak in favor of the bill.
The House passed the two bills today by votes of 101-0 and 102-0. One is a constitutional amendment. The Alabama Constitution says defendants have a right to bail unless they are charged with capital murder. The amendment, if approved by voters, would add exceptions to that.
Blanchard, 19, was a former junior high cheerleader and high school softball player from Homewood. She was a student at Southern Union State Community College when she was abducted from an Auburn convenience store in October 2019. Her body was found in woods off a rural Macon County road in November 2019.
Ibraheem Yazeed is charged with capital murder in her death.
The bills, by Rep. Chip Brown, R-Mobile, move to the Senate.
If the Legislature approves the bills and voters approve the constitutional amendment, prosecutors could request a hearing to ask judges to deny bail for people charged with certain crimes. The defendant would have the right to be represented by a lawyer, testify, present witnesses and evidence and cross-examine witnesses.
Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, said he would support the bills and understood the effort to respond to Blanchard’s murder. But Rogers questioned the need for the legislation, saying judges could already deny bail.
“Vote for it because it’s a nice gesture,” Rogers said. “Any judge worth his salt is going to do the same thing anyway. This bill does exactly what’s already being done.”
But Brown said judges interpret the right to bond differently.
“This sets a standard across the board that isn’t up to the determination of the judge,” Brown said.
AL.COM
