Kelly McTear leans over a bench in a Montgomery County courtroom to speak to another lawyer and then turns back to her new client on the other side of the room. She’s negotiating a deal for him to pay his bills rather than face court action.

Judge Monet Gaines runs through her docket, which includes multiple eviction cases. “Do you want to see if you qualify to receive legal assistance?” she asks each defendant.

Courts across Alabama have resumed evictions following the end of a federal moratorium for COVID-19. More than 40 percent of Alabama renters say they fear being evicted by the end of the year, according to census data. That’s the highest rate of concern nationwide.

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