Supreme Court rejects ousted judge's appeal
The Alabama Supreme Court turned down an appeal by former chief justice Roy Moore, who sought reinstatement to the position after his ouster for judicial misconduct.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. | April 30, 2004 — The Alabama Supreme Court today turned down an appeal by former chief justice Roy Moore, who sought reinstatement to the position after his ouster last year for judicial misconduct.
Last August, Moore blatantly refused to obey a federal court order to remove his huge granite Ten Commandments monument from its prominent spot in the Alabama judicial building. His defiance led to disciplinary proceedings, and a special court removed him from office in November.
"Roy Moore has no one to blame but himself," said Center president Richard Cohen. "He openly defied a court order and left the Supreme Court no choice but to remove him from office. The rule of law is not optional — it applies to all of us, including the chief justice."
The Center, along with Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the ACLU, represented plaintiffs who successfully sued for the Ten Commandments monument's removal (see Glassroth v. Moore).
