Alabama Criminal Libel Revival on Governor's Desk

A bill to revive Alabama's criminal defamation statute after it was held unconstitutional 15 years ago is awaiting action by Governor Robert J. Bentley after passing the state legislature last week.

According to the Decatur Daily, the state's press association dropped its opposition to the bill after an amendment barred elected officials from filing charges under the revised statute.

While the change would likely limit use of the statute as a defacto sedition law, the entire concept of criminal libel remains an anachronism that most states are smartly repealing.