We now have a significant amount of clarification on current procedures for hearings before Alabama’s Board of Pardons and Paroles. Specifically, these clarifications are related to the order in which cases are heard and how many speakers each applicant is allowed. There have also been changes to the manner in…
We have obtained an Alabama Legislative Services Agency analysis of cases heard in 2021 by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. The numbers in this report are not encouraging, and demonstrate several disturbing trends, both for paroles as well as pardons. Among parole applicants, only 15.7% were granted parole.…
Each Spring when the Alabama Legislature convenes in Montgomery, we at Skier & Associates look with a sometimes wary eye to see what new laws will emerge from the session. We are happy to say that there are several promising pieces of legislation in the pipeline this year, and some…
There is good news and bad news to report about recent developments within Alabama’s system of handling Parole and Pardon requests. First the bad news: Hearings are still not being held in-person. In our opinion, this puts applicants at a disadvantage as we believe it is extremely important to be…
Here at Skier & Associates we have noticed a larger than usual number of potential clients calling our offices for advice and help AFTER they have already had a hearing on a Pardon or Parole request that did not go their way. We cannot emphasize enough that waiting until after…
It has recently come to our attention at Skier & Associates that Alabama’s Pardon and Parole Boards currently have no plans to reinstate live hearings anytime in the near- to mid- term future. This is disappointing to us and, we are sure, to our many clients who have been waiting…
Although the disruptions to our legal system because of the COVID pandemic continue, there is progress being made in re-opening the judicial system safely. In the past week, I have become aware that in many counties in Alabama, there will soon be jury trials with steps taken to ensure proper…
Courtrooms throughout central Alabama either continue to be closed (Montgomery County, Federal Middle District Courts) or have recently announced closure (As of this week, Elmore, Autauga and Chilton County Courts have closed.) Even those courtrooms that are ostensibly open for business are currently severely limited in what kind of matters…
The Court system in Alabama is slowly starting to come back to life. The Alabama Supreme Court has passed the buck on the re-opening, leaving it to each individual circuit or court to decide when and how to re-open. This has led to a patchwork of different policies around Alabama’s…
At Skier & Associates, our practice is varied. We have pending cases in numerous venues including Alabama State Courts (District Court, Circuit Court, Family Court in Montgomery, Autauga, Elmore, Butler, Lowndes and other counties) Municipal Courts (Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook and Wetumpka City Courts for example,) Federal District Courts (Middle District…