On October 9, 2026, renown heart surgeon Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., MD (1945-2015), was selected as a "Legacy Recognition Honoree" by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Watkins is the second member of the Carmichael/Varnado/Watkins family to become affiliated with the Academy. In 2017, Dr. Watkins' first-cousin, Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, PhD, was elected as a member of the Academy.

The four greatest litigators in American history are Thurgood Marshall, Johnnie Cochran, Bryan Stevenson, and Willie Gary. Each of these litigators was/is a strong, smart, brave, and extremely gifted gladiator in the courtroom. Each one knew/knows how to try cases and win jury verdicts or court judgments in his client's favor. Let me introduce you to them.

Jefferson County, Alabama Danny Carr’s VIP treatment of accused strangler/wife-beater Christopher Drummond has drawn surging public interest. From the moment Danny Carr received the case from police departments in Birmingham and Mountain Brook, Alabama, his office began to treat Drummond like a VIP guest, rather than an accused criminal with a documented history of physical violence against his wife.

Yesterday, I read the September 18, 2026, grand jury report on the death of Nolan Wells. As a former state prosecutor in homicide cases from murder to manslaughter and as a retired criminal defense attorney who holds a string of unbroken national litigation records, I viewed the report from the lens of what it takes for the Wells family to get justice in this case. This article presents my take on the case.

My parents provided a wonderful learning system for real life situations and enhanced a family networking and support system that was already four generations old when we were kids. We have never had to go outside of our family-centered ecosystem for validation or anything else. This ecosystem has always been the primarily source of our strength, sustainability, independence, and success in life.

When I ended my tenure as a Montgomery, Alabama city council member in October 1983, the City's long-serving, right-wing Republican mayor, Emory Folmar, publicly proclaimed during my last council meeting that it was "one of the greatest blessings since the Union troops went home in 1870." Folmar, who was also chairman of Alabama's Republican Party, rejoiced in my departure.

Three children were murdered in the Lindsay Clancy case. Yet, the focus today is on attacking the lone juror who voted to convict her on murder charges. For the reasons spelled out in this editorial, this focus is wrong.

While explicit federal laws mandating racial segregation and discrimination were largely dismantled by mid-20th-century civil rights legislation, systemic and structural racism continues to function through deeply entrenched institutional practices and the persistence of the myth of race-neutral policy. Today, the Trump administration has made intentional racism against Americans of color national policy. It also rewards the infliction of government-sponsored cruelty against

"The Negro: A Menace to American Civilization" is a 1907 book written by Dr. Robert Bill Wilson Shufeldt (R.W. Shufeldt, M.D.), an American osteologist, military physician, and avid proponent of white supremacy. The book is a documented example of scientific racism. Today, the negative views held by Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, Stephen Miller, and diehard MAGA cult members toward Black Americans are traced directly back to this racist book.

On August 27, 2026, Donald Trump signed an Executive Order renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” As expected, Trump completely ignored the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, which is still active today. Once again, the United States has broken another active treaty with Native Americans. During the Trump administration, America's word to Native Americans means nothing.

This article sets out the most relevant questions in determining whether there is a pathway to freedom for Karmelo Anthony.

I watched the Netflix documentary titled, "Mike Wallace is Here." It brought back a lot of memories about the story “60 Minutes” produced and aired on former HealthSouth Corporation CEO Richard Scrushy. Mike Wallace was the correspondent for the Scrushy story.

"August 19 (A Poem for Clarence Norris)" is a powerful 1938 political poem by famed poet Langston Hughes. It was written from the perspective of Mr. Clarence Norris, one of the nine Scottsboro Boys.

The Watkins family enjoys a 97-year relationship with Tennessee State University. On August 28, 2026, the family will further endow the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., Institute at TSU. The Institute offers academically gifted high school graduates who attend an accelerated program at TSU the opportunity to become doctors and dentists in seven years on a full academic scholarship.

Whether we agree with the tenets of a major religion, or not, they must never serve as a litmus test for supporting a political candidate. The same holds true with respect to a candidate’s ethnicity and how they spell or pronounce their names. Hating on an American solely because of his/her religious faith, ethnicity, and/or the cultural heritage from which his/her name is derived is plain, old-fashion, bigotry.

Whether it is stopping Donald Trump-controlled federal agencies and judges from robbing Fawn Weaver of her Uncle Nearest bourbon and whiskey company or trying to free Karmelo Anthony from his 35-year prison sentence, or seeking justice in the highly-questionable death of Nolan Wells, the new civil rights era is the same as the old one.

For the reasons specified in this article, I believe in the system of justice that was articulated by Raf Vallone, who played millionaire businessman Constantin Demeris in Sidney Sheldon's bestselling 1973 novel, "The Other Side of Midnight," and its 1977 film adaptation. Demeris said he believed in “a head for an eye and a heart for a tooth. A simple religion, but once people know that I practice it devoutly, they stay away from my eyes, and far away from my teeth.” I agre

I have been advised to “leave white folks’ business alone” and to "stay in your lane." I did not realize that the articles I published dealt with “white folks’ business.” I thought they were issues of significant public interests to all Americans and the other world citizens who read my articles. I cover trending stories and current events on domestic and international topics. I don’t have a lane that is defined by race. I am going to keep doing what I do!

I am the last living victim’s rights advocate in William “Chick” Bush’s 1981 serial murder case. I was on the crime scene of Bush’s execution-style murders of Larry Russell Dominguez and Thomas Adams. I saw the spot where a gravely wounded Tony Holmes wrote the license plate number of Bush’s car in his own blood on the floor of a convenience store before passing out. I saw the gruesome crime scene photos. I saw the bodies. I am determined to see Bush executed for his crimes.

Elbert Bertram "Bert" Haltom, Jr., was a master litigator. We only battled in court once, and he kicked my ass. After the trial, Haltom spent several hours with me reviewing every phase of our litigation battle. He analyzed every offensive play I ran in the courtroom, witness-by-witness, and explained the defensive maneuvers that neutralized them. In the years that followed, I used every lesson Haltom taught me on my way to amassing a record-setting 155 straight courtroom v