Gay Rights Group Calling for Moore’s Ouster Through Public Advertisement
A national LGBTQ organization is advertising its fight to oust Chief Justice Roy Moore on a billboard in the state capital.
The Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, put the sign up in downtown Montgomery just days before Moore’s hearing on judicial ethics charges.
Moore was suspended from the bench following a January order to probate judges in which he said that the state’s gay marriage ban was still intact even after a U.S. Supreme Court decision legalized same-sex marriage.
“It’s a way of saying hey, you took a vow to uphold the laws of the United States and of Alabama, and yet you have consistently defied federal rulings on marriage equality statutes and in so done great harm to the LGBT community,” says Eva Walton Kendrick with the Alabama chapter of the HRC.
The group takes issue with Moore’s staunch opposition to gay rights, from which he cites his religious beliefs as a factor.
“Justice Moore was not elected to be a pastor,” Kendrick adds. “And time and time again he’s allowed his personal beliefs to cloud his ethical and legal judgment.”
Moore was removed from the Chief Justice position in 2003 for ignoring a federal court order asking him to remove a large Ten Commandments monument at the Alabama Supreme Court.
Mat Staver is founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, the group representing Moore. He says Moore’s suspension is politically motivated and that the order has been misconstrued.
“The Chief Justice was not allowing state law to trump federal law,” he says. “I mean read the silly order. You can’t come away with the opinion that he was advocating that the probate judges disobey a U.S. Supreme Court order. In fact, it specifically said he did not take any position on what the probate judges should do.”
Staver says Alabama’s automatic removal law creates an atmosphere of guilty until proven innocent and that Moore is being treated like a criminal. He adds that the order was nothing more than a status update from Moore to state probate judges who, he says, had questions regarding Alabama’s gay marriage law.
The Alabama Court of the Judiciary will hear arguments in the case on Monday.
What to know about Jeff Bezos’ upcoming Venice wedding — and the protests against it
Bezos will soon marry Lauren Sánchez in Venice. Protesters say the city, already grappling with overtourism, is putting the wedding over their needs — which city officials and wedding organizers deny.
Emmy nominations voting ends tonight. Here’s what our critic hopes will make the cut
Emmy voters have until tonight to send in their picks for nominees. Here's what NPR TV critic Eric Deggans thinks they should be voting for.
Iran attacks a U.S. base in Qatar
A U.S. defense official confirmed that the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar "was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran" and said there were no casualties.
‘Endling’ is a shape-shifting debut that takes on heavy themes with humor
Maria Reva's virtuosic novel starts out as a straightforward story about a Ukrainian biologist, but morphs into a comic take on war, the mail-order bride business and the plight of snails.
Home sales just posted their slowest May in 16 years
There are 20% more homes for sale this May — but it hasn't been enough to pull buyers off the sidelines amid high mortgage rates and economic uncertainty.
Climate change is boosting the risk of sleep apnea
Hotter temperatures make breathing problems during sleep more likely, even when it's not extremely hot
