Federal judge strikes down on Alabama panhandling law

WVAS | By Melanie Hogan

Published March 16, 2023 at 1:07 PM EDT

A federal judge has struck down Alabama laws against panhandling.

U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins ruled the statutes are unconstitutional. The ruling came after the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency conceded that the appellate court ruled similar laws violate a person’s right to free speech.

The decision ended litigation filed in 2020 challenging the laws on behalf of people who had been ticketed or jailed for panhandling in Montgomery.

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Melanie Hogan

Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.

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