you learn about alabama history. this is such an important time in her life as she learns about our state and its history and the civil rights movement is certainly an integral part very important part of our history. so she's coming with me on the pilgrimage next month, and she'll be able to meet and know first hand the people that fought to change the world. it's difficult for those of us who weren't allowed during the civil rights movement to wrap our minds around it, but i alongside my daughter and very much -- am very much looking forward to this special time as members of congress that we have to reflect on the importance of this history. i am, again, honored, mr. speaker, to be a part of this bill. and i just thank, again, all of my colleagues who very quickly joined with us so that we could get this done to honor those brave foot soldiers that changed not just our country but the world. i, too, ask that all of my colleagues join me in voting in favor of h.r. 431. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the spea

state capital in montgomery, alabama. the extraordinary bravery and sacrifices these foot soldiers displayed in pursuit of a peaceful march from selma to montgomery brought national attention to the struggle for equal voting rights, and served as a catalyst for congress to pass the voting rights act of 1965, which president lyndon b. johnson signed into law in 1965. mr. speaker, as alabama's first black congresswoman, i know that the journey i take was only made possible because of the courage and bravery of the soldiers of the voting rights movement. as a native, a proud native of selma, and a u.s. representative who now represents selma and parts of montgomery, i am the direct beneficiary of their sacrifice. during this 50th commemoration of the voting rights movement and the 50th anniversary of the passage of the voting rights act of 1965, it is fitting that this august body would give them our highest civilian honor, a congressional gold medal for their valor and determination in relentlessly pursuing the promise of o

now, openly in alabama, for now it is a law of the land here for in alabama for is to be a blessing religiously, cut now in the state. that was significant for them. >> pastor thank you for talking to us. >> thank you for having me. >> we'll be back with more "inside story" after a short break. >> when we return a look at the constitutional argument at the heart of the state and federal authority. >> can a judge reported by the president, decide that a law passed by and for the people of president obama is null and void. stay with us, it's "inside story". >>> welcome back to "inside story". i'm ray suarez. when alabama's chief justice ordered authorities throughout barack obama not to marry same-sex couples, even though the marriage ban was ruled unconstitutional, and the supreme court decided not to intervene, he re-entered an arena he fought in before. moore was attempting something called nullification, defined as the action of a state impeding or preventing operation or enforcement within its territory of a law of the united states. during a century long battle between the government and th

in alabama, this was the exception. in county after county many court officials refuse to issue same-sex marriage because of a directive from justice. >> i'm not trying to restrict it, but a court cannot determine otherwise. >> reporter: despite the ruling declaring the ban on state marriage unconstitutional. sunday night chief justice moore instructed probe ail judges to uphold the alabama law and not issue marriage licences. >> do i have a problem. i support the constitution of alabama, which says marriage will be between one man and one woman. i see no power in the federal government or the united states supreme court for that matter, to redefine marriage. >> reporter: this is the only court in the south to provide the law on gay marriage. it's a similar stance. 50 years ago george wallace defied the court, blocking doors in a stand against immigration. >> george wallace whacked himself in the race issue, pandered to some of the worst elements in the society. roy more is taking a page out of his book by using the rel

now, openly in alabama, for now it is a law of the land here, for in alabama for is to be a blessing religiously, cut now in the state. that was significant for them. >> pastor, thank you for talking to us. >> thank you for having me. >> we'll be back with more break. >> when we return a look at the constitutional argument at the authority. >> can a judge reported by the president, decide that a law passed by and for the people of president obama is null and void. stay with us, it's "inside story". >> monday on techknow. what if there was a miracle >> grace's stem cells are in this box >> that could save the life of your child >> we're gonna to do whatever we can >> would you give it a try? >> cell therapy is going to be the next big advance in medicine >> tech know, every monday go where science meets humanity. >> this is some of the best driving i've every done, even though i can't see. >> tech know. >> we're here in the vortex. >> monday, 5:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> rain pryor >> everyone wants to be that thing... and i'm not that thing i'm like hello... i'm me...

of the alabama supreme court ordered alabama's from probate judges not to issue marriage licenses. >> i don't like to say anybody shouldn't be happy, but nobody's stopping them from living together. it's about the institution of marriage. and when that institution is destroyed, it's the basic building block of our society. >> reporter: in a state where most residents oppose same-sex marriage, many alabama judges sided with justice moore leaving some license bureaus empty. it's not first time justice moore has been at the center of a battle between state and federal power. in 2003, he refused to obey a federal court order to remove a monument of the ten commandments from the courthouse. civil rights activists say today's battle is only the latest example of alabama resisting federal power. they compare it to 1963 when then-governor george wallace stood in the doorway at the university of alabama in opposition to federal orders to integrate alabama schools. moore denies there is a connection between then and now. >> this is not about race. this is not about recognition that all people

alabama is an interesting state. there was never a time when you get the majority of the people in the state to vote to end racial segregation. our state constitution, which is being invoked by some people here and reference to the marriage equality issue, still prohibits like and white children from going to school together. we have tried twice now to remove this apartheid segregation language. each time, the majority of the people in the state have voted to take the language out. what i would say to these young women is, this is a state where he sometimes have to stand when other people are sitting place where you have to speak when other people are quiet. purge and courage alone is necessary -- courage and encourage alone is necessary when people don't respect you. it is the history of america the history of the state for justice. i embrace and applaud all who take that stand and show that courage. i think this is a state that will continually have to confront its resistance to complying with the constitution and

jan you of course are a native of alabama, is alabama different than it used to be? >> oh, completely. and i thought, you know as congressman lewis said in the interview we can't lose sight of how much it has changed because that does a disservice when you think about how much people before us sacrificed for that change. but yet as we have seen on a number of civil rights issues whether race, same-sex marriage, there still is a long way to go. but you also see in alabama, i have been there a couple of times in the last week, the same-sex marriage controversy you see great hope, you see people looking to advance change in the state of alabama, as you see across the nation, so while we have people sacrificing 50 years ago i think we still have that today. not only in alabama, but across the country. >> schieffer: well, you know i mean while edmond perez is still on that bridge, his name but judge ballard who is a probate judge in that courthouse, he got up saturday morning and went up and opened up the courthouse for us so we could conduct that interview and as often i

what i am basing my opinion on is the constitution of alabama.is simple. >> you have got people in your state now in a very chaotic situation. some people are performing and the counties are performing same-sex weddings, and some are not. how do you deal with the fact that there are people in your state who love each other and want to get married, and a federal judge has said they should be allowed to, and yet they are not. how do you feel that should go? >> people can love each other and live with each other, but to get married in the state of alabama, you have to go by the constitution of alabama that has been passed and which forbids same-sex marriage. >> mr. chief justice, the supreme court passed a ruling in one case saying that interracial marriages were constitutional. it took until 2002 to take some of the other laws off the books. do you think that amount of time after the supreme court ruled and those laws remained on the books that the states should have continued to enforce those laws? >> no, those were overturned by the supreme court

and alabama is the 37th state to do so. 50 of alabama's 60 counts still refuse to issue same sex licenses. joining me now is patricia todd, the first openly ga elected official in the state. how is this playing, today's news, in alabama? they show really high levels of opposition to same-sex marriage and marriage equality? >> we're all disappointed in the probate judge's lack of ability to do their job. if they got elected to office, if they didn't have to wear an oath to the bible, it was to uphold the constitution of the united states. we saw many of them today fail at their jobs. >> do you think those probate judges will have any accountability? politically, are they going to face any reprisals for doing this, or is this politically safe for them to do? >> the reality is it is probably politically safe for them to do, but we're not elected to office to do what is politically safe to do. we're here to do what is right for the people of alabama. and you know, unfortunately judge moore is over the whole judicial branch in alabama. so to think they may be fined or penalized, i'm not sure t

want you to hear the chief justice of alabama -- of the supreme court in alabama explaining why mostjudges are still upholding a same-sex marriage ban that a federal judge struck down. >> i think that gay marriage is an alteration of the definition of marriage and the united states supreme court does not have the authority or the federal courts do not have the authority to interpret a word that disputes the constitution. >> i am joined now by cnn senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin live with me smiling in washington d.c. and reber ta caplan. famous name. she's the lawyer who persuaded the supreme court of the united states to throw out the defensive marriage act. jeff, i want to start with you if i can. you saw that interview, you read those transcripts, probably a couple times to get your head around what judge roy moore was saying. your response to it? >> we've known each other a long time. >> we have. >> i don't do the cable news thing of like calling people names. but i'm going to make an exception. >> i know what's coming. >> roy moore is a crack pot. >> oh, god. >> he is not so

alabama chief justice ray moore sent out letters to many in state of alabama where gay marriage was supposed to be legal on monday that he still felt it was unconstitutional and the federal law did not apply to what was happening here. >> swam preference is that a constitutional right? sexual preference that you could be bisexual or transgender? is that a right? it's not a right found in the constitution. the right to enter a marriage relationship is a right given by god. >> reporter: according to the aclu some of the alabama counties refused to grant licenses to gay couples today. voting that alabama's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional and the supreme court refused to step in. >> they said there was conflicting rulings and they had to do research and they would be calling us. >> it's not the first time ray moore has challenged federal authority. in 2003 he refused a court order to take down a ten commandments monument he had installed in a state judicial building. he was removed from the bench from a state ethics panel but he was reelected. >> we are looking for a way to court, to ge

if you're a war eagle, i'm stupid i root for auburn when they play alabama because i love alabama so much. but friend do me a favor. follow the federal law. let p supreme court determine this. what you're doing, it's just -- it's against supremacy clause. here's wully geist. he's going to talk to you. >> mika i have a quote from a professor of law at the university of alabama. >> roll tide. >> here we go. judge moore, justice moore, may sincerely believe state law takes precedence over federal law. if that's so it's unford fortunate because it's plainly wrong. >> you learn this in -- >> did you learn that at the university of alabama? >> no i learned that at the university of florida law school but the only reason i knew how to read is because i went to the university of alabama because when i showed up there i was barefooted and -- but we thought you only learned to count to number one. >> i did only learn to count to number one because we're number one, roll tide. >> i would say joe is rambling about this judicial showdown under way in alabama where several counties began issuing m

it's a violation of alabama law. >> reporter: chief justice roy moore of the alabama supreme court ordered alabama's probate judges not to issue marriage licenses. >> i don't like to say anybody shouldn't be happy, but nobody's stopping them from living together. it's about the institution of marriage. and when that institution is destroyed, it's a basic building block for our society. >> reporter: in a state where most residents oppose same-sex marriage, many alabamians cited with justice moore, leaving some license bureaus empty. it's not the first time justice moore has been at the center of a battle between state and federal power. in 2003 he refused to obey a federal court order to remove a monument of the ten commandments from a courthouse. civil rights activists say the gay rights battle is only the latest example of alabama resisting federal power. they compare it to 1963 when then-governor george wallace stood in the doorway at the university of alabama in opposition tofederal orders to integrate alabama schools. moore denies there is a connection between then and now. >> this is

alabama representative barry moore, no relation to the chief judge. and patricia todd representative todd is the first openly gay lawmaker in alabama history. representative moore, thank you for joining us. i'll start with you. given what the district court ruled yesterday, taking out any ambiguity, to the extent there was any, do you believe that your state should follow what the federal courts are telling you to do? >> well chris, i think the issue at hand right now is exactly -- as people and we represent the people. the fact that the judge has made this ruling and overturned the will of the people. is a concern for us and i think we'll have to look at some laws possibly just to get the state of alabama out of the marriage business. >> get the state of alabama out of the marriage business. representative todd, what does that mean to you? >> well i think a lot of people who want to get married in the next couple of months are not going to be happy about that. i think that's totally unrealistic.

a part of alabama's state constitution.reed to put her own ruling on hold for 14 days for appeal. the alabama attorney general appealed it. but they denied the request for a stay. so the original federal court set to expire there will be a hold on marriage licenses starting today. not so fast said chief justice roy morrill. that may ring a bell. he refused to remove his ten commandments. but he made a come back. if you were wondering what happened to that guy, the answer is that he is currently serving at chief justice. of the alabama supreme court. yesterday in that role you will never guess what judge moore did. instructed pro bait judges to ignore the federal ruling on gay marriage and stick to what he said is the alabama constitution. the supreme court in 7-2 vote refused to extend that hold. so you have the u.s. supreme court refusing to stop gay marriage in alabama, and they now have a choice. do they follow the lead of the heist court in the nation and issue licenses or listen to judge roy moore and refuse? they basi

all of alabama's executions are carried out here.rison was originally built to house 540 inmates. today, that population is nearly doubled, and most inmates, including serious felons, live in one of five open dormitories. >> i've been locked up 12 years, and it's not getting any better around here. instead, they try to pile us in and pile us in more and more. >> at holman, 630 beds are dedicated to general population. 200 accommodate inmates in administrative segregation, and 172 are set aside for death row inmates. >> you have anything from a property offender here all the way to self-proclaimed serial killers. >> because of a lot of difficult inmates or inmates that other camps can't contain, they will send them to us, and we take them, and we deal with them. >> you'll be out in 30 damn seconds. [ pounding ] >> people can get tied up. people can get shot up, you know. people can get stabbed up. >> wrong place, wrong time. you might get hurt. >> so it's up to you to maintain and weave. you know what i'm saying? if you can't weave, t

given the pockets like alabama. could there be a backlash if the justices do decide to make marriage equality the law of the land. >> i don't alex. the backlash has been just the opposite. look at roy moore. he's not only been an embarrassment as he's been going from talk show to talk show to the country. but he's been an embarrassment to his own state. in fact, i bet he's an embarrassment to the legal body for which he sits. we saw the governor the conservative governor of alabama distance himself from roy's remarks. the pace of progress that you're talking about, it's happened even in the deep soit. my home state of arkansas. or alabama that we're talking about today. and it's because our friends, our colleagues. our neighbors, regardless of where we live or what political party we belong to are coming out. once everyone gets to know us they wish for e = rights. >> let me push back on that a little bit. to the subject of his own party and his own state. only 23 justices are defying roy moore. he clearly has some c

safe to say alabama is dmoitd protecting the unborn no near matter what the cost. >> the state of alabama is broke. we don't have a statewide public defender system and to take money away from that, away from the needs of people trying to navigate that system to represent fetuses is insulting. it's particularly insulting to women. >> so there are people out there who really need help. >> there are a lot of people in alabama that need a good attorney that can't afford one. >> hmm. i know somebody who can help. this is a fetus 220 months gestation, life is cut short because he doesn't have access to a fair trial. >> no grown man is a fetus. he has a heart beat! he can feel pain! >> well, he's not a fetus. there you have it. if you can't afford an attorney, alabama has got your pack until the day you're born. why do i take metamucil everyday? because it helps me skip the bad stuff. i'm good. that's what i like to call the meta effect. 4-in-1 multi-health metamucil is clinically proven to help you feel less hungry between meals. experience the meta effect with our multi-health wellness line.

county in alabama today. no confusion and disarray there. many judges decided not to issue any marriage licenses at all, gay or straight. marriage unavailable for anyone. that is not confusing at all. for judges who did want to make their way through the conflicting rulings and instructions, alabama's attorney general issued this helpful statement. look at this. i advise probate judges to talk to their attorneys. that's right. so the judges should get lawyers. the judges should speak to their lawyers about with a they should do pt not confusing at all. it should be noted in the handful of green counties, there were a lot of very happy gay couples getting hitched in alabama. the reason they were able to get hitched is the u.s. supreme court denied the request to stay that ruling. everybody has been trying to read the tea leaves on the united states supreme court on the issue. they are set to rule this year on whether gay marriage is protected by the constitution. people are anticipating this could be a big nat

lined up in courthouses across alabama. some waited all night for this - a merge licence. >> happy, excited. we waited three years, we thought we'd have to go state. but now we go here. >> reporter: it was not the base for everyone in alabama. sunday night chief justice roy moore sent out letters saying although gay marriage was legal on monday that he felt that it was unconstitutional and if the federal law did not apply to what was happening here. >> sexual appearance is that a constitutional right, sexual preference. she can be bisexual transgender. is that a right. it's not a right found in the constitution. >> the right to marriage or relationship is a right given by god. >> according to the aslu some refused to clountss. a federal district court ruled last month that alabama's ban was unconstitutional and on monday the u.s. supreme court refused to step in. >> they said that there was conflicting rulings, so they have to do research and they would call us. >> it's not the first time roy moore challenged federal author

same-sex weddings begin in the deep south amid cheers protests and controversy in alabama. did the supreme court just tip its hand to how it will rule nationwide? >>> and car hacking. modern technology making vehicles smarter but not necessarily safer. a new warning about what criminals can do while you're behind the wheel but not necessarily in control. "nightly news" begins now. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. i'm lester holt in for brian. we're glad you're here. it is the winter of boston's discontent. they've picked up more than 5 1/2 feet of snow over the last 17 days. right now as yet another storm blankets parts of new england, that snowbound city has run out of places to put it all. busting snow removal budgets, snarling transit not to mention stretching the patience of a lot of moms and dads as school kids are now looking at their eighth snow day of the year. we begin today with ron mott near boston's beacon hill who will show us what that much snow looks like. ron, good evening. >>

chief justice roy moore of alabama, the alabama supreme court, the guy with the ten commandments on his plate, is telling judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in alabama after a federal district judge ruled that the state's ban on gay marriage violates the u.s. constitution. a battle of constitution and judges right now. we'll look at the fallout. >>> president obama's speech at last week's prayer breakfast. mike huckabee says the only group president obama will unflinchingly support are muslims, not jewish or christian people. >>> let me finish with my thoughts on laurence silberman's piece in today's "wall street journal." i don't like it. this is "hardball." the place for politics. [coughing] dave, i'm sorry to interrupt... i gotta take a sick day tomorrow. dads don't take sick days, dads take nyquil. the nighttime, sniffling sneezing, coughing aching, fever, best sleep with a cold medicine. doug, we have the results, but first, we have a very special guest. come on out, flo! [house band playing] you have anything to say to flo? nah, i'll just let the results do

this will be attached for the people of alabama, prosecutors of alabama to make an informed, responsible decision to say we made a mistake. we will at the van gogh home. we'll see what they do. >> or people watching this interview thinking if they are a death row they probably deserve to be or there's or there something better. >> actually, i wish that were the case. the truth is we've now got close to 150 nsm people that have been proved innocent. it's really hard to prove somebody hard to person by the msm. not because they are innocent, but we have a system we don't enable ear. you don't get the resources. we are very cynical and dismissive. in this case they are quite dramatic and quite overwhelming. i wish i could tell people this really isn't as bad as i am saying it is. i actually think it is much worse. because the prison population has gone adult think there's a time in american history where we had more innocent people in jail and prison, including on death row, that we do today. the procedures and they hate in the regard that we have for fair and reliable process is actually l

roby from alabama. this legislation is so vitally important. i take it as one of my life's greatest honors to have served for the last 20 years in the congress with john lewis. he literally changed our nation through his bravery. and on a day like today, this is the date that 25 years ago nelson mandela walked out of prison and into the presidency in south africa and as those foot soldiers walked across this bridge on bloody sunday, they helped create a circumstance in which we would have, as the president of the united states barack obama. we cannot separate these issues. they're inextricably intertwined. and i want to say to my colleague from selma who represents so ably the new south that our nation is so much better for the struggle in selma for the sacrifice and not just those who are famous like dr. king or john lewis but i met at her side ms. boykin, 105-year-old woman who walked across that bridge that day just in this capitol less than 20 days ago and i want to thank her for her leadership on t

alabama governor robert bentley sided are judge moore. i'm disappointed that a single federal court judge defied to follow the law. according to the human rights campaign, as of this afternoon, judges in at least 44 counties have refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. joining me now is the legal director for the human rights campaign and nbc news justice correspondent pete williams and chuck dean. chuck, let me start with you first in terms of what is happening in alabama at this hour. 42 out of 67 counties, judges are not issuing same-sex marriage licenses. how surprised are you? >> not surprised. if there is a surprise it is as many as 20 24 have issued licenses. in the old days almost none would have. today some have. it is primarily in the larger population centers that we're seeing that. it is not surprising in the smaller, more rural church communities of the state you would see resistance like this. >> in terms of the judicial system what happens next? >> a couple of things are happening. number one some lawyers fo

come on alabama. let's at least be honest about the real reason that you are doing this. >> conti probate office is not going to be in the marriage licence business all together. we decided to take ourselves out of that. we don't want to disappoint anybody but at the same time you've got those deeply held christian beliefs that i do. >> wait a minute. in the minds of the judges and clerk biblical law supersedes federal law. which reminds me what was that state constitutional amendment that alabama voters passed last year by a huge margin. >> some people refer to amendment one as the sharia law amendment. it would prohibit judges and other state officials from basing any of their decisions on foreign law. >> jon: hmmmm, where was the bible written again? (laughter) last time i checked ancient galilee is not-- (cheers and applause) >> jon: ancient galilee is not one of the 50 states. or even one of them territories that nobody knows about. which makes it foreign law. the kind of foreign law you explicit

and to come back to alabama, we have not had a lot of polling in alabama, if you had a poll today youould see gay marriage support was not the majority in alabama, which is why you see some judges in that state not necessarily jumping on board to be supportive of gay marriage. >> perry macon thank you, as always. we have to presume the republicans will be happy with this because it removes this as an issue for the primary. that goes to the national same-sex marriage. thank you for sharing this news. take care. >> thanks, guys. >>> if you thought forecasting the weather here was tough. try doing it in the deepest regions of the war on terror. we'll meet a team of elite army members doing that. special forces weathermen. you don't want to miss it. kellogg's frosted flakes. they're gr-r-reat! push your enterprise and you can move the world. ♪ ♪ but to get from the old way to the new you'll need the right it infrastructure. from a partner who knows how to make your enterprise more agile, borderless and secure. hp helps business move on all the possibilities of today. and stay ready for ev

one such project is our -- is in alabama. it's our mobile river bridge also known as the i 10 bridge. central sessions had to step out. he knows this very well. this is a project that reduces the congestion in the tunnels that help with the growth of our great city there in alabama. this is a project that -- this is a major project that we need to be working on. >> one of the second priorities that we need to look at is long term funding which has already been mentioned. funding certainty. now at the federal level is essential for budgeting for future projects. we as governors and ceos of the states we understand how important transportation infrastructure is to creating jobs in our states. certainty allows govern the ability to plan and execute long term multi-year transportational projects. took office in 2011 we've recrewed 63,000 jobs for the state of alabama. key infrastructure is needed. in alabama, we're witnessing the first hand of partnership and job creation and infrastructure improvement. my first term of office, i

alabama would become the 37th state to recognize same-sex marriage. when federal judge ruled a ban there was unconstitutional. then alabama chief justice roy moore stepped in and told state officials to ignore that court order. now the federal judge has fired back. we invited justice moore to join us. chief justice with this latest ruling by federal judge granade and with 50 at least 50 of the 67 probate judges in alabama -- and those are the ones who decide whether or not to issue the court orders in the counties with 50 of the 67 now saying they're going to go ahead and issue those same-sex marriage licenses this next week, is this case basically settled? >> no, far from it, chris. this was -- this latest ruling merely pointed out what i said in my initial order. she does not have power over anything but what's before her court. even with that recent ruling, she has no power over the probate courts of alabama. this is about an extension of power beyond federal authority. i'm talking about rule 65 federal rules of procedure which states very quickly

a federal judge forces a county in alabama to hand out same-sex marriage licences. why dozens of other counties are refusing to comply >>> calling a truce, ukraine and rebels agree to a ceasefire to end fighting. the u.s. is worried the fragile peace deal could fall apart >>> a labour stand-off. west coast shipping ports shut for five days how it could impact all americans and cost the u.s. economy billions >>> i'm antonio mora and this is al jazeera america. we begin with breaking news from egypt. mohamed fadel fahmy, our colleague was released from prison on bail. he was held for 412 days along with baher mohamed, also expected to be released within hours. the two journalists were granted bail by an egyptian judge. they were being retried on charges that they aided the muslim brotherhood. neave barker reports on their day in court. >> reporter: this could be the beginning of the end for an ordeal that lasted more than 400 days. mohamed fadel fahmy, and baher mohamed were granted bail at the start of a retrial. it's a huge relief for their families. >> i'm going im