Anti-marriage Justice Roy Moore ordered to turn in his keys to court, staff fired

by Rob Howard
Associate Editor

Long after May, when he was suspended from his position as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court pending a hearing by the Court of the Judiciary (COJ), and weeks after the COJ suspended him for the balance of his term, Roy Moore is still battling to keep his position.

Moore was suspended for issuing an order to state probate judges, who issue marriage licenses in Alabama, to defy the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision, which extended same-sex marriage to the entire country.

Moore has appealed his suspension to the State Supreme Court.

The acting Chief Justice, Lyn Stuart, isn’t making it easy for him. According to AL.com, “Acting chief justice Lyn Stuart sent two letters to Moore's Etowah County home in Gallant on Monday.

“In one letter Stuart states that since Moore was recently found guilty of the ethics charges he must contact the court's marshal ‘to arrange the removal of your personal effects from your office and to return your keys (both brass and card) to the Judicial Building on or before October 18, 2016.’

“In the other letter Stuart told Moore that ‘in an effort to keep the judiciary running smoothly and efficiently, any letters addressed to the Chief Justice that appear to contain official information will be opened by my staff.’

"’Letters that appear to be personal will not be opened,’ Stuart wrote. ‘Any unopened mail or opened mail that is personal will be held and made available for you to pick up from the Marshals.’"

In addition, the conservative website WND.com reports that Moore’s clerks had been fired. “On Thursday acting Chief Justice Lyn Stuart and Justice Michael Bolin called in three law clerks who formerly worked for Moore and fired them.

“They were accompanied by police officers as they cleaned out their desks, according to Liberty Counsel, which has been defending Moore.”

It seems like the end for Moore. The AP report said, “A judicial panel last month suspended Moore for the remainder of his term after finding he urged state probate judges to defy the federal courts on gay marriage. The panel, in its decision, indicated that a majority wanted to outright remove Moore from office but did not have the unanimous agreement required to do so.

“By the end of his term in 2019, he'll be beyond the age limit of 70 for judges.”

In addition, Justice Stuart has had Moore’s name removed from the list of Justices on the Supreme Court’s letterhead.

Mat Staver, the Founder and CEO of Liberty Counsel, who is serving as Moore’s attorney, is complaining that the actions of Justice Stuart make it appear that the court has already prejudged the case.

WND reported Staver’s allegations: “’Removing the chief justice’s name from the official Supreme Court letterhead and demanding he remove all his personal items sure looks like removal to any objective observer,’ said Staver. ‘The Court of the Judiciary lacked the unanimous 9-0 votes to remove the chief, but the punishment that the court created is de facto removal. This recent action by acting chief justice Stuart is premature because the appeal is pending along with a motion to recuse certain members of the Alabama Supreme Court.

“’This prejudgment of the appeal seriously raises doubt that Chief Justice Moore can get a fair hearing. No one should prejudge this case. Chief Justice Moore deserves a fair hearing that is transparent and open to public scrutiny,’ said Staver.”

Moore, in his motion to the Supreme Court, asked that four of the court’s justices recuse themselves from hearing the case. He, and his attorney, don’t appear anywhere near giving up on his appeal, based on their actions and statements.

Copyright 2016 The Gayly – October 14, 2016 @ 11:30 a.m.