Alabama’s top prosecutor has launched a civil investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center’s fundraising operations following federal criminal charges against the organization.
Attorney General Steve Marshall revealed Monday that his office has issued a subpoena to the civil rights organization, requesting details about its donation practices and payments made to informants. The investigation aims to determine whether the group violated Alabama laws governing charitable organizations or engaged in deceptive business practices.
“We look forward to learning more about the inner workings of an organization that we have long believed was rotten, but until recently, has been impervious,” Marshall stated in a news release.
The Southern Poverty Law Center provided a short response to the state action. “We have received notice of a subpoena and are currently reviewing,” a spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement.
This state-level probe follows the Justice Department’s announcement of criminal charges against the organization, alleging fraud through the use of donated funds to pay informants operating within extremist organizations. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has accused the group of “manufacturing racism to justify its existence.”
The SPLC has rejected these allegations as “provably wrong” and defended its informant operations as intelligence-gathering efforts designed to prevent attacks and disrupt hate group activities. The organization maintains that federal authorities have been aware of these programs and that gathered information has been shared with law enforcement agencies.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, widely recognized for its work monitoring hate groups, has frequently found itself in legal disputes with conservative organizations, the Trump administration, and Marshall’s office. The center has been an outspoken opponent of various Trump administration policies.
