Multiple petitions are circulating online requesting Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore’s impeachment, & there’s nothing wrong with signing one. Just don’t think it will lead to his ouster via impeachment. Alabama doesn’t have a mechanism that allows the Legislature to impeach state judges. We have something better.

We have the Court of Judiciary Overview and the Judicial Inquiry Commission.

When a state judge is accused of conduct that violates the Canons of Judicial Ethics & Discipline, the Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) investigates the complaint. The JIC serves as a sort of grand jury. It reviews the complaint, the evidence, and decides by majority vote if the evidence merits forwarding the matter to the Court of Judiciary Overview (CJO).

The CJO then holds a public hearing on the matter:

The Court of the Judiciary is authorized to remove a judge from office, suspend a judge without pay, or censure a judge for violations of their duties. If a judge is found by the court to by physically or mentally incapable of performing the duties of the office, the court may suspend the judge with or without pay or retire the judge.

[…]

This method of removing a judge from office replaces the impeachment method. Decisions of the Court of the Judiciary may be appealed directly to the Supreme Court.

The last time Roy Moore tangled with federal court orders (2003) and refused to remove his Ten Commandments monument, this process removed him from office.

It’s a good thing we have this process, because the current legislature would be more likely to make him “Chief Justice for Life” than impeach him.

Hopefully, after his behavior during the entire marriage equality fight in Alabama this year – particularly his comments immediately after the SCOTUS ruling – someone is already drafting a complaint.

Alabama’s judicial disciplinary process is less political than a straight impeachment vote by the legislature, but some members are subject to appointment by the Governor & Lt. Governor. Read more about who appoints whom here. So there’s nothing wrong with showing your support for Moore’s removal via the online petitions.

It’s just important that people know what the actual process is – and realize that this is one area where Alabama’s Constitution does something right.