MONTGOMERY, Ala. —

Alabama Chief Justice Sarah Stewart on Tuesday used a new law to appoint a retired judge to handle the case against a man accused of the 2019 killing of a college student that drew national attention.

The new law, calls the Speedy Trial Act, allows the chief justice to appoint visiting judges in order to get criminal cases to trial more quickly.

Stewart appointed retired Macon County Circuit Judge Tom Young to handle the case of Ibraheem Yazeed who is accused of killing Aniah Blanchard. Yazeed has pleaded not guilty to capital murder charges.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall last month asked Stewart to make an appointment, writing that, “Our entire state has watched the repeated delays in this case with angst and frustration.” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also

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