Statewide Amendment 1 (Aniah's Law expansion): PASSED

Alabamians took a strong stance on punishment when they took to the polls on May 19. The proposed Statewide Amendment 1 (Aniah’s Law expansion) passed with 83.61% of the vote. There were 4,785 yes votes and 16.39% or 938 votes were no. 

Amendment 1 asked Alabama voters whether judges should have expanded authority to deny bail to people charged with additional violent crimes before trial. 

The proposal built on Aniah’s Law, a 2022 constitutional amendment passed after the killing of Aniah Blanchard, an Auburn University student whose accused killer had previously been released on bond while facing other violent charges. 

The amendment adds several offenses to the state’s list of crimes eligible for bail denial hearings, including attempted murder, solicitation or conspiracy to commit murder, and shooting into an occupied home, vehicle or other occupied structure. Under the amendment, judges would still be required to hold a hearing before denying bail and prosecutors would have to show that releasing a defendant could endanger the public or create a flight risk. 

Supporters have said the measure will close gaps in existing law and give judges more tools to keep potentially dangerous defendants in jail before trial, particularly in violent gun-related cases. 

On the other hand, opponents and civil liberties advocates have warned that expanding pretrial detention powers could undermine the presumption of innocence and increase the number of people held in jail before being convicted. Only time will tell which side is right.