Panhandling ruling

WVAS | By Melanie Hogan

Published April 17, 2025 at 8:32 PM EDT

In Alabama, a federal appeals court has ruled an Alabama law which imposes penalties on panhandlers is unconstitutional.

In a decision handed down Monday, the three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling, which found the Alabama law violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The suit challenging the law was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery on behalf of three unhoused citizens.

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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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