Alabama chief justice suspended from role

Alabama chief justice suspended from role

MONTGOMERY — Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended for the rest of his term after the Alabama Court of Judiciary passed the ruling Sept. 30.

According to the court, Moore defied federal court rulings on same-sex “marriage” and was found guilty on six charges, including interfering with legal processes and violating legal ethics by instructing the state’s probate judges to ignore the federal ruling to legalize same-sex “marriage.”

Since Moore’s term does not end until 2019, Gov. Robert Bentley will name a replacement, according to news reports.

To remove Moore from his office, a unanimous ruling was required by the nine-member Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission.

Moore was previously temporarily suspended over ethics charges from the Southern Poverty Law Center. He also was removed from his role as chief justice in 2003 after defying another federal court order relating to the display of the Ten Commandments at the Alabama Judicial Building. (TAB)