Judge Puts Off Indefinitely Ruling Declaring Comp Act Unconstitutional

The circuit court judge who ruled last week that Alabama’s workers’ compensation system was unconstitutional stayed his order indefinitely on Wednesday to give lawmakers time to cure deficiencies in two statutory provisions. Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Pat Ballard declared the Alabama Workers’ Compensation Act unconstitutional on May 8 but stayed his ruling for 120 days. Given that the Legislature adjourns its 2017 session on Monday, Ballard said lawmakers needed more time “to remedy the constitutional insufficiencies in the act addressed by the...