Clemon will exit U.S. bench

Bush arranges for worldwide economic summit
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THE RACE FOR PRESIDENT
Next president to have
big impact on state’s military
Section C
U.S. DISTRICT COURTS
Clemon
will exit
U.S. bench
Pioneer jurist
seeks legacy
of mercy, justice
By VAL WALTON
News staff writer
Alabama’s first black federal
judge, U.S. District Judge U.W.
Clemon, will retire from the
bench Jan. 31 and return to
practicing civil law.
Clemon cited stagnant
judges’ pay and changes in
the federal courts’ direction
that don’t sit well with him as
reasons for his decision to
leave the bench rather than
take senior status, a form of
semi-retirement that allows
federal judges to hear fewer
cases but still earn a full salary.
“It’s time,” said Clemon,
who as a lawyer handled landmark civil rights lawsuits before his appointment by President Carter to the bench in
1980. “I have now served 28 1 ⁄ 2
years as a federal judge and
I’m 65. There are some other
things I’d like to do in life.”
Clemon likely will argue
cases in the same courtrooms
where he presided over complex criminal trials and civil
litigation, such as the longrunning Anniston PCB contamination case that ended
with a $700 million settlement
of state and federal lawsuits.
See CLEMON
Page 8A
Federal
Judge U.W.
Clemon
plans to
retire in
January and
return to
practicing
law. He sat
for this
portrait
Tuesday in
his
courtroom
at Hugo
Black
Federal
Courthouse.
Guard, Reserve are sure to expand
for active duty in Middle East and Asia
By TOM GORDON
News staff writer
Those who ask how a president can
make a difference in everyday lives
should consider this number: 30,036.
The total represents the Alabamians, nearly half of them National
Guard members and Reservists, who
have been called to serve in the Iraq
and Afghanistan wars since 9/11.
They have been part of the Bush administration’s response to the attacks
and its stated goal of fighting terror-
INSIDE
ism in the Middle East and Central
Asia.
Nearly 100 service members with
Alabama ties have died in those wars,
and 522 have been wounded in Iraq
alone.
No matter who is elected president
Nov. 4, those numbers are going to
increase. For example, about 1,600 Alabama Army Guard soldiers already
are expected to deploy in and around
Iraq and Afghanistan during the current fiscal year.
See MILITARY
ISSUES FOR ALABAMA
This is the fourth of five articles that explore where Democrat Barack Obama
and Republican John McCain stand on issues of critical importance to Alabama.
TODAY: Military
OCT. 26: Economy
Previous installments include
health care, energy and research and science. To access
them, visit al.com, the online
home of The Birmingham
News: blog.al.com/bn/vote08
Page 7A
Where the candidates stand on issues regarding the military
6A
ELECTION 2008
INSIDE
NEWS STAFF/MICHELLE WILLIAMS
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LifeStyle
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NEWS STAFF/BERNARD TRONCALE
Jeffrey Williams, an Iraq war veteran from Huntsville, is examined by nurse practitioner Susan Camp during a recent
visit to the Birmingham VA Medical Center. Williams, 25, is paralyzed from the waist down because of a spinal cord
injury he suffered when a roadside bomb blast hit the troop carrier in which he was riding May 25, 2004, near Fallujah.
The former Army specialist is one of more than 500 Alabamians who have been wounded in the Iraq war.
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The race for the U.S. Senate:
A look at Figures vs. Sessions
Democrat Vivian Davis Figures is challenging incumbent Jeff Sessions to represent Alabama in the
U.S. Senate. Sessions, a Republican seeking his
third term in the Senate, is far and away the favorite. But Figures points to her 11 years in the state
Senate and her record as an advocate for regular
citizens as reasons to shake up the status quo.
See PAGE 10A for profiles of both candidates
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Proposal to extend troop presence
draws protests in Iraq / 11A
Shaw’s run for
high court is
steeped in PACs
By ERIC VELASCO
News staff writer
Their names do not show
up on Greg Shaw’s contributor list, but insurance companies, medical interests
and bankers have indirectly
helped bankroll his bid for
Alabama Supreme Court.
They have given to political action committees that
have provided more than
half of the Republican candidate’s campaign money
through early September,
current campaign disclosure
reports show.
Money from companies
including Alfa Insurance,
Birmingham’s IAO Actuarial
Consulting Services, Protective Life Corp., Johnson &
Johnson, McWane Inc. and
Compass Bancshares traveled through a mini-maze of
PACs.
See PACS
Page 4A