Ethics Charges Filed Against Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore

The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission says it has filed ethics charges against Moore, setting up a trial in the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.

The SPLC filed the complaint after Moore instructed state court judges to defy a federal court order and enforce the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. They also say he commented on pending cases, among other allegations.

Moore could be suspended pending the ruling by the Court of the Judiciary.

If the court finds him guilty, he could be permanently removed from office.

Roy was removed from office back in 2003, after defying a federal court order to remove a ten commandments monument from the state judicial building.
The SPLC complaints state that Moore:

* advised state judges to violate a binding federal court order;

* repeatedly commented on pending cases;

* undermined the public’s confidence in the integrity of the judiciary by denigrating the federal courts and threatening to defy them; and

* improperly lent the prestige of his office to the Foundation for Moral Law, a private organization that his wife runs and that he founded.

Chief Justice Roy Moore issued this statement in response the charges.

“The Judicial Inquiry Commission has no authority over the Administrative Orders of the Chief Justice of Alabama or the legal injunction of the Alabama Supreme Court prohibiting probate judges from issuing same-sex marriage licenses.

The JIC has chosen to listen to people like Ambrosia Starling, a professed transvestite, and other gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals, as well as organizations which support their agenda.

“We intend to fight this agenda vigorously and expect to prevail.”