‘Ayatollah of Alabama’ Ousted

After ordering probate judges in the state not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Alabama’s Chief Justice Roy Moore was officially ousted from his position last week. An ethics panel found Moore guilty of violating the canons of judicial ethics, and suspended him without pay for the remainder of his term. A nine-member panel, made up of judges, attorneys, and private citizens, found Moore guilty of six charges, including failing to uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary and failing to abstain from public comment about a pending proceeding in his own court. More than 10 years ago, Moore was removed from the bench after he repeatedly refused to obey a federal order to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from outside Alabama’s judicial building. The panel could not come to a unanimous decision to remove Moore from his position outright, but it suspended him from office, and because of age limits Moore is ineligible for running for the office again. Moore’s attorney said he was “disgusted and disappointed” by the decision, and would appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court.