Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore discusses the U.S. Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling Monday, June 29, 2015, in Montgomery, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

(JULIE BENNETT)

The United States Supreme Court's decision Friday was supposed to settle the argument -- same-sex marriage is a right protected by the Constitution.

No matter that everyone studying the court's signals the last couple of years already knew what was going to happen, Alabama decided to wait.

No surprise there.

But four days later at least 22 Alabama counties have refused to accept the high court's decision.

Or at least, the probate judges in those counties have, leaving just one question.

Can they win?

Heck, no. That question already has a clear answer. The recalcitrant probate judges throughout Alabama have about as much chance winning this fight as Roy Moore has being grand marshal in a gay pride parade -- in drag.

No, the real question now is who's going to pay for it.

Swimming against the legal tide of same-sex marriage will cost money, and at least one of those probate judges has now turned to his county commission to foot the bill.

This week, Pike County Probate Judge Wes Allen has been something of a mini-Moore in Alabama's same-sex marriage fight. Rather than issuing licenses to same-sex couples, Allen has used a little loophole in the state law, which says probate judges "may" issue licenses, not "must" or "shall." Allen has quit issuing marriage licenses altogether. If everybody can get married, then nobody can get married.

The trouble for Pike County is that Allen has made a lawsuit all but inevitable, and now Allen wants the commission there to hire him a lawyer.

The commission there told him no, and Allen blasted the commissioners

"I sincerely believe the decision that Commissioners (Joey) Jackson, (Charlie) Harris, (Homer) Wright and (Ray) Goodson made tonight to support bringing gay marriage to our county courthouse is 100 percent counter to the Christian values and principles of the people they were elected to represent," Allen told the Troy Messenger. "April 13, 2015 will go down as a sad day in the history of our community."

Or in other words, if you don't want to pay my legal bills for a futile legal fight, then you hate God.

It might look like Allen is out of luck, but I know a place he might be able to turn to for help. As it happens, there's a non-profit that, according to its tax records, exists for the very purpose of "educating the public and promoting current litigation activity aimed at moral and religious issues."

The Foundation for Moral Law.

Just look at what this nonprofit has done for Allen's role model -- Chief Justice Moore.

In the last 10 years, the foundation has paid almost $1 million to Moore and his wife. In 2011 alone, the foundation reported $60,000 in salary and a $393,000 cash-out of retirement and deferred compensation for Moore. The following year, Moore made $138,000 in salary and $42,000 in "other" compensation from the organization.

And according to those tax records, Moore was only working 20 hours a week for the foundation.

Moore had to give up his job there when voters returned him to the Alabama Supreme Court. Lucky for him that his wife Kayla was right there to step into the gap. In 2013, she made $65,000 serving as the organization's new president.

Tax forms for 2014 are not yet available, but the foundation's website still shows Kala as its president.

Getting thrown off the bench for defying federal court orders, ranting against same-sex marriage, obfuscating the meaning of both United States and Alabama Supreme Court decisions -- it's not just good politics in Alabama. It's a good living, too.

Couldn't the foundation spare a little for the righteous 22 Alabama counties following Moore's lead?

But who am I kidding? The Foundation for Moral Law won't be picking up the state's tab for this coming legal fight.

That would be you, the Alabama taxpayer.