Roy Moore refuses to clear personal items out of courthouse office
Following his removal from bench, suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore ignored a Tuesday evening deadline to clear out his Montgomery courthouse office, and as of Thursday has yet to tackle the task. Moore doesn’t believe acting Alabama Chief Justice Lyn Stuart has the authority to make the request of him. His lawyers have asked the Alabama Supreme Court to overrule Stuart, saying the request is premature given Moore is appealing his suspension. “When you are suspended from office, you are not removed. We are appealing it,” Moore said. In September, Moore was suspended from the bench for the remainder of his term for encouraging probate judges to defy a federal order and refuse marriage licenses to gay couples.
Suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore files official notice of appeal
Suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is beginning the appeal process of last week’s judicial ethics conviction that led to his suspension for the remainder of his term. The five-page document was filed with the Alabama Supreme Court Monday. Moore’s attorney, Liberty Counsel founder and chairman Mat Staver, indicated several key issues for appeal in the documentation: Whether the Judicial Inquiry Commission proved each of the six charges against his client by clear and convincing evidence. Whether the JIC violated its own rules and Alabama law by breaching confidentiality during its investigation, or by prosecuting without a sworn complaint. Whether the JIC and COJ have jurisdiction to investigate or punish judges for issuing administrative orders. Whether the automatic disqualification provision of the Alabama Constitution violates due process guarantees. Whether the COJ can impose a de facto removal from office without a unanimous vote. The nine-member Alabama Court of the Judiciary (COJ) unanimously found Moore guilty on six charges relating to violations of the canon of judicial ethics, and issued his suspension from the bench on Friday. Moore was subsequently suspended from the bench for the remainder of his six-year term, which ends in January 2019, without pay. View the full appeal notice below:
