Roy Moore Trial Ends; Fate of State Chief Justice Unknown
Suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was on trial himself today in Montgomery. He’s accused of ordering probate judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples some six months after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. The Alabama Court of the Judiciary trial started this morning and ended this afternoon, with a decision expected within 10 days. Moore could be sanctioned or removed from the Alabama Supreme Court. WBHM’s Dan Carsen spoke with WBHM’s Esther Ciammachilli, who was at the trial today. She says the scene was relatively civil, given what has happened outside other recent Roy Moore hearings, and given what’s at stake.
Listen above, or read key excerpts below. We’ll have more as the story unfolds.
Repeating History?
“Roy Moore faces being removed … for the second time in his career. In 2003 he was removed after defying a federal court order to remove a ten commandments monument. [The current charges are] that once again, he defied a higher court’s ruling when he told state probate judges to ignore the U.S Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage.”
Same Defense
“Moore’s attorney Mat Staver stuck to his guns. He said that the order Roy Moore sent in January to probate judges was not a directive — it was just to clear up misconceptions among state probate judges … who were confused as to exactly what they should do. Staver said Moore never told the judges not to issue marriage licenses, that the order was nothing but what he called a ‘status report.'”
Esther Ciammachilli,WBHM
Roy Moore opponents setting up before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary trial.
Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing
Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn’t turned out as expected.
Q&A: How harm reduction can help mitigate the opioid crisis
Maia Szalavitz discusses harm reduction's effectiveness against drug addiction, how punitive policies can hurt people who need pain medication and more.
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring a Community Engagement Producer
The Gulf States Newsroom is seeking a curious, creative and collaborative professional to work with our regional team to build up engaged journalism efforts.
Gambling bills face uncertain future in the Alabama legislature
This year looked to be different for lottery and gambling legislation, which has fallen short for years in the Alabama legislature. But this week, with only a handful of meeting days left, competing House and Senate proposals were sent to a conference committee to work out differences.
Alabama’s racial, ethnic health disparities are ‘more severe’ than other states, report says
Data from the Commonwealth Fund show that the quality of care people receive and their health outcomes worsened because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What’s your favorite thing about Alabama?
That's the question we put to those at our recent News and Brews community pop-ups at Hop City and Saturn in Birmingham.
