214 Job Bias Complaints Filed Under Title VII of Rights Act

    Orrucs Or Trrn ATToRNEY GnNERdL

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OfPU?Y A7?OFfl !Y CtTTiAL

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WaLTSF S. Tunxgn
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Jerre Norutl
AOXrilStaArlvf a95llTAXT

CHARLES A. GRADDICK
ATTORNEY GENERAL
STATE OF ALABAMA

AUG rO I9i9
I

aorarilt?rAYrvl EulLolxc
aa Noa?H Uxrox SllcfY
Mox?cox:iv. ALAl^ra !allo
AarA ltotl. t!a.!tto

Mrs. Jenny C. Knight
Mernb er
l,lorgan Cor.urty Board of Registrars
P. 0. Box 658
Decatur, Alabama 356A2

Regis trar s -E 1e ct ions -Voter
RegistraEion

Discussion of which crimes
will disqualifY an Alabama
citizen from voting.

Dear I'Irs. Knight:

This is in ansiTer to your request for an opilion
from itir office of June 8, L979, 

-which reads as follows:

"I wouLd like Eo request an opinion
from your office concerning the. dis-
enfrairchisement of voters for the
conviction of certain offenses. I
am especiallY inEerested in those
crimei involving moral turpitude.

"ltle disqualifying offenses are listed
in Articie 8, SecEion 182 of Ehe 1901
Constitution. I feel certain that
some of these offenses may no longer
be disqualifying due Eo recent federal
or state court judgments. I a:n in
hopes that yoqr office might provide
me'wich sourl foru, of an updated list'



l{rs. Jenny C. Knight
Page Two

As you noEe
(Constitution of
will disqualify a

"It has always been difficulE and
confusing to deter:nine Ehose crimes
LnvoLving moral turpltude which
might keep soneone from voEing. I
would especially appreciate aly 

-
heLp or 'some folm oT a lisE of these
crimes

"One question in particuLar deals
with issuing worthless checks. I{ould
Ehose persoi.s convicEed in district
courE 6t issuing worthless checks be
dlsqualified from voting?"

iny
Alab

Per

our opinion, Article 8-,- Section L82
Fma 1901) lists Ehe offenses rvhich
son from voting. Tlrat section reads:

"The following Persons shall be dis-
quaLlfied botE from registering, and
from voting, narnelY:

"A11 idiots and insane Persons; those
who shall by reason of conviction of
crime be di-squalified f=om voting. at
Ehe tLme of fhe ratlfication of this
ConstituEion; those wh: shal1 be con-
victed of Ereason, mtlr33r, arson, 9[-
bezz].eu.ent, malfeasancs in office,
larceny, receiving str=-=t properEy,
obtaining property or ::IeY -underfalse prEtlnsLs, perj:, subornation
of periury, robbely, a==au1t with
intlnt- to- rob, burllr; . f orgerY,
bribery, assault ana -;=-tery on the
wife, bigamy, f.iving i - adulEerY,
sodomy, incesE, raPe, :scegenation,
crime against nature , r! anY crj-me
punishaSle by imprisc:=:rE in the
penitentiary, or- of a=:_ infamous crime
br crime involving mo=al EurPiEude ialso, af,y Person who =t=11 be convicEed



l,Irs. Jenny C. Knight
Page Tlrree

as a vagranE or tramP, or of selling
or offeiing to sell his vote or Ehe
vote of another, or of buYing or
offerlng Eo buY the vote of another,
or of making or offering to make a
faLse reEurn in any election by the
peopLe or in any primary election to
Procure the nomination or election
6f any person t9 anY office,.or of
suborning any rvltness or registrar
to secure the registration of any
person as an elector."

several of the offenses listed have specifically
been deleted from the list of disqualifying offenses by
case 1aw. !!1'ese include assault and battery on the

362 (N.D. Ala . L977) ;wife; Hobson v. Por.',434 F. - Supp . 3Q2 (II.D. AIa ' L9 I t ) ;

vagrinffi=iT3tate, 18 Aia. App. 199 , 89 So ' 9?4

cr. 1817, 18 L. Ed. 0 ; united $Eates v.
Brirtian, 319 F. SuPP. r058 (N.D. Ala. 1970)

In addition to the crlmes specifically listed, the
statute provides thaE the disqualifying crimes include
.if crimls punishable by imprisonuel-lt in th-e- penitentiary
and all criines lnvolvin! moial turpitude. i'Je then reach
the conplicated questioi of which crimes are crines in-
.rolrirrg^moral turpitude. This que-stion cannot be dis-
positiiely answerld, inasmuch as the determinagion of what
tonstitutls a "crtme involving rnoral trrrPitude" has been
addressed by the Alabama courts on a case 9y.9?"" basis,
and often in a context other than the eligibility Eo vote '

There are a nuober of definitions of the terB. In
Irvin v. State , 44 AIa. App. 101 (L967) , the Alaba:na
ffial Appeals- ticed a definition- given^by
l{r. Justice Traynor'in In R.e Hallinan, 43 Cal. 2d 243,
272 P. 2d 768, which reads:

"Although the problem of defining
moral turpitude is not without
difficulty, :k :k lg is settled that
whatever Llse it maY mean, it in-
cludes fraud and that a crime in
which an intent to defraud is an



l,lrs. Jenny C. Knight
Page Four

essenlial element is a crime in-
volving moral turpitude. * * *
IE is also settled that the related
group of offenses involving in-
tentlonal di.shonesty for purPoses' of personal gain are crimes in-
volving moral turPitude. -* * * Ttre
fraudulent acquisition of another's
proPertY is but another for:ur of
ttreit in this state. * * ?krr

Moral turpitude also has been defined as: "anything
done contrary lo jusEice, honesEy, princiPle, or good
moraLs; an att of-baseness, vileness, or depravity in-fr. tti.rr"t. "td social duties which a man owes his fellow
man, or to sOciety in general, contrary to the accepted
and custcrnafy." tte tErm also implies- something irmoral
i"-iiself , rlgardless of whether it. is_punishable.by_law.
Nelson v.-Sraie, j5 Ala. App. L79,44 56. 2d 802 (1950).
ffidoing of thl- act itself , and not ils Pro-
[iUiti*, Uy statutel that fixes the moral !yIP]!"d9:.
Pippin v. "srare , Lg7 A1a. 613, 73 So. 340 (1916); 

-9i11nnanv.ffifa. I35, 5L So. 722 (1910). The oftense
Affie-riralum in se and not mah:m prohibitum. Sims v'
CaLlahan, 269 Ala. 2L6, LLz So. 2d 776 (1959)'

As I have indicated, any list that is compiied of
crimes involving moral turpltude is not necessarily ex-
haustive. ttoweier, I have attenpted to collect the existing
cases on this subjict and to preient a list of crimes that
have been heLd to-involve moral turpitude and a lisr of
cri.mes that do not involve moral turpitude.

Ttre foL1-owing is a list of crimes involving noral
turpitude in Alabama:

Murder - Vaushn v. Staqe, 235 Ala. 80,

-77ffi ,"
ffi



l,lrs. JennY C. Knight
Page Five

Burelarv - l,lvnne v. State, 155 Ala' 99,
ftso. ,18

A1a. App. 30I, 92 So. 37.

Foreerv - lloton v. State, 13 A1a. App'

-5,6ffis).Malicious shooting- Smith-l{r---StaEe, , 40 
- -ffi,m(lese)

AssauLt vrith intent to mqrder - Mathervs
L7,-ztr.dF'

TdTrGg7 3) ; Harrii- v. suat9.-113
So.. 2d 567 (Ala. Crim. APP ' Let t ) '

Larcenv - (includes grand and petite)
Mathews v. State, Lnrra.

Desertion from milr
pP.

-tg,m(leso).Sale gf mariiuana - GholsEon-v.' $Late,@s4@.
1978) .

l,Ianslauehter in the Fi=-st Degree - Johnson
ia'-ffi'-

IpF. 197s).

Income tax evasio4 - i--iwether Y,.Crgt#
nvestment .fE9-T.Ia. 504, 268
o. ) . this offense is

,i""-itounds for :' sgiplinary action

"g.i"Et attorney - involving moral
tilrpltude. Ann-c:- . 63 A.L'R' 3d
465 (197s).

Violatins DYer Act (e-'sPorting
cars across sEaEe -r-nes/ -v. State, infra.

stolen
l.{athews



Mrs. Jenny C. Knight
Page Six

Obtainins EoneY by worthless check -
101,

m(1e67)
Carnal l,crovrledge - PowelL v. State , 297
ffis3wLe74).
TLre following are crimes which have been

involve moral turpitude :

Assault and battery - Gillmqn v. State,Irc
v. State, 3 Ala. APP. 64, 58 So.
B6-oE-n'son v. State, 15 Ala. APP.
2e6, ,

2z itLa. epp. 3g-, ffi
BedsoLe v. - Srate , 274 A1a. 603,
ffi1e53).

Bootlessins - Wissins v. State, 27 ALa.---.:trpp-51,m
DistlLling, or otherwise violaEilrE,pro:

.

-----Tfu. m'0, Bm-Ost El_earte
Marshall, 207 ALa. 566, 93 So.
Bauffi v. Scate, 2L5 A1a. 6L9'
ffi

Doing business wi!h-9g!---lisnse - Craven
v. state@, ll.IlE
T6T-

Trespass to land - U. S. Lbr. & Cotton
Co. v. C;[E,zffi666-

heLd not

47L;
LLz

18 AIa. App.SEate,



I'trs. Jer:ny C. Knight
Page Seven

Using Abusivq & Obscene Language - Craven
11l-Eo 'ffi

DriviqF while Intoxicated -'Dimond v'-rceffi58,26€Ed
6t0.

VioLations of liquor laws - &ltmgn v'
L247w2d

TT(L960); Parkei v. State , 280
ar+. '68s,-i9ffi967) 

.

Aiding prisoner to=scaoe - IlcGoverrl v'
sEamleT-ffi-TI47 (Le67) .

Soeedine - Dean v. Johnston, 28L Ala. 602,.*Ti6so@

Of course, I am Sure you are aware EhaL a restoration
of civif-ila p6fiti".i-iightt granted by the Alabama Board
of Pardons an-d Parole will resEore the right to vote to a
person convicted of one of the disqualifying crinres.

I hope that I have answered your questions sufficiently'
Sincerely,

CHARLES A. GMDDICK
Attorney General
By-

Public Drunkenness - Crarmqr v. State,
ffiraven v. StaEe., suPra.

LINDA C. BREI.AND
Assistant AEtorney General

LCB:bb