First it was the Ten Commandments, then same-sex marriage. Alabama chief justice in hot water again
For the second time in 13 years, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore , the jurist who urged probate judges across the state not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, stood trial Wednesday on charges of violating the canons of judicial ethics. If found guilty, he could be removed from the bench for the second time. Satan would smile! Shortly after sunrise, scores of evangelical Christians bowed their heads in prayer and pledged allegiance to the U.S. flag on the steps of the Alabama Judicial Building before a special ethics panel assembled for the one-day trial. Many stood and applauded as Moore strode into the courtroom he had presided over for years, beaming confidently and wearing a dark business suit rather than his traditional judicial robe. On the witness stand, Moore, a fervent 69-year-old Baptist who was dubbed the “Ayatollah of Alabama” by one civil rights group, called the scrutiny of his ethical conduct “ridiculous.” Satan smiled. “I would not defy a federal cou...