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Republicans Block Nonpartisan Judicial Elections

Montgomery, AL – Republican legislators have bonded together to prevent passage of a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed residents of Marshall County to elect their circuit and district judges in nonpartisan elections.

The Alabama House voted 50-0 Tuesday for a bill by Democratic Rep. Jeff McLaughlin of Guntersville to elect the northeast Alabama county's judges in elections where candidates run without party labels. But that was short of the 63 votes needed to pass a Constitutional amendment.

Republican legislators refrained from voting on the proposal. House Minority Leader Mike Hubbard said Republicans felt the election of judges was a statewide issue and not a county issue.

McLaughlin said the county's judges include Democrats and Republicans and all support holding nonpartisan elections.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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