Former U.S. Magistrate tapped to prosecute Roy Moore

A former federal magistrate will prosecute suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore on judicial ethics charges.

The Judicial Inquiry Commission said Thursday it has hired John Carroll to prosecute allegations that could lead to Moore’s removal. Carroll was a federal magistrate before becoming the law school dean at Samford University, where he still teaches.

An attorney for Moore is criticizing the decision because Carroll once worked as legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which filed a complaint against Moore over his opposition to same-sex marriage. Moore attorney Mat Staver calls the system “corrupt and unjust.”

Both Carroll and an attorney with the Judicial Inquiry Commission declined comment on Staver’s claims.

Moore is accused of violating judicial ethics with an order after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriage.

Republished with permission of The Associated Press