AG Steve Marshall Throws a Fit Over Ivey’s Death Row Reprieve - But Where Has He Been?

Editor Opinion -

Attorney General Steve Marshall’s latest outburst over Governor Kay Ivey’s decision to commute a death sentence only reinforces his reputation as a political grandstander more concerned with flexing his authority than ensuring justice. His furious response to Ivey’s decision to spare Rocky Myers—a man whose conviction was riddled with inconsistencies—reveals just how little he cares about due process when it doesn’t fit his tough-on-crime persona.

Marshall lashed out at the governor, claiming she failed to consult him before making her decision. His indignation is telling—rather than focusing on the troubling flaws in the case, he’s more upset about being left out of the loop. This isn’t about justice for him; it’s about control. Myers’ conviction was based on shaky evidence, with no physical proof linking him to the crime scene. Yet Marshall has spent decades upholding the verdict without a second thought, even as concerns about Myers’ intellectual disability and wrongful conviction have gained national attention.

Ivey, hardly a soft-on-crime politician, acknowledged the serious doubts surrounding the case, making it clear that she couldn’t, in good conscience, allow an execution to proceed. But Marshall’s response was pure outrage—because for him, the appearance of being tough matters more than the possibility of executing an innocent man. His reaction exposes his rigid, authoritarian approach: the system handed down a death sentence, so in his mind, it must be right—no matter the evidence to the contrary.

Instead of grappling with the reality that Alabama’s justice system makes mistakes, Marshall doubled down, fuming that Ivey exercised her constitutional power without his input. It’s a telling move from a man who values power over principle. His outrage isn’t about justice—it’s about his ego.

Marshall’s mismanagement doesn’t stop with his obsession over this case. Despite being Alabama’s top law enforcement official, he’s been notoriously absent from his office, spending an inordinate amount of time in Washington, D.C., cozying up to D.C. insiders rather than focusing on the problems at home. Under his watch, several high-profile cases in Alabama have been botched, some even being dropped due to incompetence or lack of preparation. While he postures as a law-and-order crusader, his actual record is littered with absence, proving that his priorities lie more in political grandstanding than in doing his job effectively.

Sources: ALreporter.com, 1819 News, AP News