Suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore does not have to release to the Judicial Inquiry Commission two un-redacted memos he had sent to fellow justices last year, a judge has ruled.

Chief justice of the Alabama Court of the Judiciary this Court Mike Joiner on Monday had ordered Moore to submit to him for an in-camera (private) review the two memos the Judicial Inquiry Commission wanted to review. Moore had previously submitted redacted versions of the two memos.

In an order issued Wednesday, Joiner stated that Moore "has timely complied with this court's order to submit both unredacted copies and copies with proposed redactions along with a brief explanation as to why the proposed redactions are necessary."

Joiner denied the JIC request for un-redacted copies saying he reviewed the memos and agrees with Moore that the redacted portions relate solely to internal Alabama Supreme Court communications and procedures that are not necessary to provide context for the remainder of the memos. "At this juncture , based on the pleadings and materials before the court it does not appear that the redacted portions describing internal court communications and procedures are relevant to the issues in this matter," Joiner states

"If the arguments or evidence make the redacted material relevant the issue will be revisited," Joiner states.

Moore was suspended May 6 after the JIC filed judicial ethics charges against him for a Jan. 6 administrative order to probate judges. In that order he stated that a March 2015 Alabama Supreme Court order banning the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples was still in place.

Moore said he wasn't defying the U.S. Supreme Court or federal courts with that order. And in a filing last week to the Court of the Judiciary, which will hear the ethics complaint against him, Moore explained what was happening in the months before he issued his January order. He also included excerpts from the memos he had sent to fellow justices in September and October of last year urging them to act - one way or another - on whether they thought their previous orders telling probate judges not to issue marriage licenses (prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling) were still in place.

Ultimately, earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court did act to dismiss the petition from the Alabama Policy Institute and others that led to its March 3, 2015 order to probate judges, but did not say it was rescinding its order.

The Court of the Judiciary on Aug. 8 is to hear summary judgment motions by both Moore and the JIC. Moore is seeking dismissal of the charges and the JIC wants a ruling in their favor to remove Moore now from the bench.