Advertisement Chief Justice Roy Moore suspended for rest of term over same-sex marriage directive Moore removed from office in 2003 for defying federal judge's order to remove Ten Commandments monument

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For the second time in 13 years, Roy Moore has lost his power as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. The Judicial Inquiry Committee has suspended Chief Justice Roy Moore without pay for the rest of his term. Moore is accused of violating ethics laws when he sent an order to state probate judges on same-sex marriage licenses, despite a federal court ruling on the issue. He was suspended in May, and the Judicial Inquiry Commission asked the courts to permanently remove Moore from office. Moore testified in his own defense Wednesday in front of the JIC. Friday, it unanimously found that Moore was guilty of violating: Canon 1, failing to uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciaryCanon 2, failing to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all his activitiesCanon 2A, failing to respect and comply with the law and failing to conduct himself at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciaryCanon 2B, failing to avoid conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disreputeCanon 3, failing to perform the duties of his office impartiallyCanon 3A(6), failing to abstain from public comment about a pending proceeding in his own court Click here to read the JIC's order. Moore's term was scheduled to end in January 2019. He has been suspended without pay and forced to pay court proceedings. His attorneys are appealing the decision. Moore released a statement Friday afternoon, saying the decision reflected corruption of our political and legal system. "This was a politically motivated effort by radical homosexual and transgender groups to remove me as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court because of outspoken opposition to their immoral agenda," Moore's statement read. "This opinion violates not only the legal standards of evidence but also the rule of law which states that no judge can be removed from office except by unanimous vote." A statement on the Liberty Council's website called the decision "an unbelievable violation of the law" and said the decision is a de facto removal from the bench, saying he will be ineligible to run again for election as judge because of his age. “To suspend Chief Justice Moore for the rest of his term is the same as removal. The COJ lacked the unanimous votes to remove the Chief, so the majority instead chose to ignore the law and the rules,” said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “The 2016 Administrative Order was merely a status report of the pending case before the Alabama Supreme Court. The order did not change the status quo. It did not create any new obligation or duty. To suspend Chief Justice Moore for the duration of his term is a miscarriage of justice and we will appeal this case to the Alabama Supreme Court. This case is far from over," Staver added. Read the full Liberty Council statement here. The Southern Poverty Law Center commended the Court's decision in the case. “The Court of the Judiciary has done the citizens of Alabama a great service by suspending Roy Moore from the bench. He disgraced his office and undermined the integrity of the judiciary by putting his personal religious beliefs above his sworn duty to uphold the U.S. Constitution," said SPLC president Richard Cohen. "Moore was elected to be a judge, not a preacher. It's something that he never seemed to understand. The people of Alabama who cherish the rule of law are not going to miss the Ayatollah of Alabama," Cohen added. Because Moore was suspended, his seat is technically not vacant, leaving the nine-member court with only eight justices for the next two years. "The Supreme Court has the ability to bring up a ninth vote, to have a judge sit by designation, but in terms of being the Chief Justice, that is going to fall to the senior member, which is Justice Stewart," former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones said. Moore was first removed from office in 2003 for defying a federal judge's order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from a state building.