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Alabama Justice Suspended Over Monument (10 Commandments Being Violated, Big Time!)
Associated Press ^ | August 22, 2003 | BOB JOHNSON

Posted on 08/22/2003 10:42:26 PM PDT by anymouse

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Alabama's chief justice was suspended Friday for his refusal to obey a federal court order to remove his Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of his courthouse.

Roy Moore was automatically suspended with pay when the nine-member Judicial Inquiry Commission referred an ethics complaint against him to the Court of the Judiciary, which holds trial-like proceedings and can discipline and remove judges.

Ruby Crowe, an assistant clerk working with the court, said Moore will have 30 days to respond.

Moore met with the commission earlier Friday as about 100 of his supporters, several blocks away at the federal courthouse, ripped and burned a copy of U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson's order for the monument's removal.

Moore said he told the commission that he upheld his oath of office by acknowledging God. Moore has said Thompson has no authority to tell the state's chief justice to remove the monument.

Moore had no immediate comment after his suspension was announced. His spokesman, Tom Parker, said Moore's attorneys would respond to the complaint Monday.

Although Moore's supporters have said they will try to prevent court officials from moving the monument, Moore's attorneys offered assurances that their client will not interfere with the removal during a conference call Friday with Thompson, two plaintiffs' attorneys who also took part in the call said.

A Moore spokesman said Friday that the justice still intends to formally appeal the order to the U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites).

Attorney General Bill Pryor said the public corruption and white collar crime unit in his office will handle the prosecution of Moore, who cannot perform any judicial duties while disqualified. Pryor said senior Associate Justice Gorman Houston will perform the chief justice's duties.

"I'm not happy we have to deal with these matters, but it is part of our duties and we will continue to do so," Pryor said.

Thompson ruled last year that the monument, installed by Moore in a highly visible public spot in the Alabama Judicial Building, violates the Constitution's ban on government promotion of a religious doctrine.

Thompson had ordered the monument removed by Wednesday — the same day the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Moore's appeal for an emergency stay.

The state Supreme Court's eight associate justices, meanwhile, overruled Moore and ordered the monument out of the rotunda.

Joe Conn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which sued to remove the monument, said Moore brought the suspension on himself.

"He knew all along that state court judges cannot defy the federal courts and yet he went ahead with this anyway," Conn said.

A Moore supporter, Alabama Christian Coalition president John Giles, said the commission was "trying to take down one of America's finest."

The monument remained in the rotunda Friday as court officials discussed where in the building the 5,300-pound granite marker could be moved and given proper security. Thompson said it could be moved to a private place in the building.

The ethics complaint, filed by Montgomery lawyer Stephen Glassroth, now goes to the Court of the Judiciary, a panel currently made up of four judges, three lawyers and two non-lawyers that has handled numerous judicial ethics cases.

Attorneys who sued to get the monument out of the rotunda, meanwhile, put their contempt filing against Moore on hold, now that Alabama Supreme Court associate justices have agreed to move the marker.

Moore supporters have held an around-the-clock vigil since Wednesday, and said they planned to continue to prevent the monument from being moved.

On Friday, about 100 protesters moved from the steps of the judicial building to a sidewalk in front of the federal courthouse, where Thompson works. Some ripped to pieces and burned a copy of Thompson's ruling. Demonstrators also held a mock trial, in which Thompson was charged with breaking the law of God.

"We hold you, Judge Thompson, and the United States Supreme Court in contempt of God's law," said Flip Benham, director of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.

Inside the state judicial building, court officials were trying to determine where the monument would go and when it would be moved.

Ayesha Khan, an attorney for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, one of the groups seeking removal of the monument, said Thompson told the parties in a conference call Friday that he would schedule another conference call for late next week. She said plaintiffs would drop their request to hold Moore in contempt, or fine the state, if the monument is moved by then.

"Our concern all along has been compliance with the Constitution. Once the monument has been removed, our concerns will have been addressed," she said.

Khan said the attorney general, speaking for the eight associate justices who overruled Moore, told Thompson that building officials were looking for the best location for the monument and considering security problems that might occur because of the ongoing demonstrations.

One of the demonstrators, retired Birmingham school teacher Murray Phillips, said she knows the monument will probably be gone from the rotunda soon.

"I'm upset, but I'm not surprised. At least I am going to be able to say to my grandchildren that at least I tried to do something," Phillips said.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Alabama
KEYWORDS: 10commandments; alabama; judicialabuse; roymoore; scotus; suspension
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To: sfRummygirl
See, the next thing that is coming is going to be one huge step closer to the end, though. Did you hear on Savage how the Universalist church is now saying that churches should take down the public displays of crosses, ON THEIR PROPERTY? Get it?

I'm opposed to it and opposed to the ruling. But he lost in the courts and that is how our country works. What they are doing now is all about self-promotion.

121 posted on 08/23/2003 10:20:04 AM PDT by Texas_Dawg (I will not rest until every "little man" is destroyed.)
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To: ambrose
Isn't it ironic that some of the "Libertarians" on this site are suggesting we should have religion like state run Europe?
Holy crap.
Wake up, people.
122 posted on 08/23/2003 10:22:30 AM PDT by sfRummygirl (ok, stop laughing)
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To: sfRummygirl
Isn't it ironic that some of the "Libertarians" on this site are suggesting we should have religion like state run Europe? Holy crap. Wake up, people.

What about the conservative Christians that are completely opposed to this pride-filled charade as well?

123 posted on 08/23/2003 10:24:20 AM PDT by Texas_Dawg (I will not rest until every "little man" is destroyed.)
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To: ConsistentLibertarian
we can't make inferences from original expectations concerning the application of the Constitution to conclusions about its original meaning.

Translation: We should be ruled from the bench by federal district court judges indulging their personal whims.

124 posted on 08/23/2003 10:24:46 AM PDT by Roscoe
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To: Central Scrutiniser
You have completely screwed up the whole point of this.
125 posted on 08/23/2003 10:25:09 AM PDT by sfRummygirl (ok, stop laughing)
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To: Texas_Dawg
Look, I didn't get the newsletter on what I am supposed to believe just because I am now considered to be a conservative Christian. And my friend, I am not filled with pride right now. I am filled with fear and worry. Did I mention that I live in the San Francisco bay area? Would you like to see what happens when the Columbia/NYU lawyers win? Come on over here, honey. Welcome to your future.
126 posted on 08/23/2003 10:37:01 AM PDT by sfRummygirl (ok, stop laughing)
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To: sfRummygirl
Come on over here, honey. Welcome to your future.

I was there last week. Beautiful city. Cool baseball park. You can always move, you know?

127 posted on 08/23/2003 10:44:38 AM PDT by Texas_Dawg (I will not rest until every "little man" is destroyed.)
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To: jwh_Denver
That explains a few things about Colorado. :)
128 posted on 08/23/2003 10:45:00 AM PDT by anymouse
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To: Texas_Dawg
You're right. If I move, all will be better. I'll just keep running away from the erosion, until it catches up with me in another part of the country.
Come on, dawg, think.
129 posted on 08/23/2003 10:47:37 AM PDT by sfRummygirl (ok, stop laughing)
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To: Theodore R.
It is always darkest before the dawn. Hang in there faith has a power all unto its own, that evil can only fear.
130 posted on 08/23/2003 10:52:39 AM PDT by anymouse
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To: sfRummygirl
Come on, dawg, think.

We're all doomed.

I do think. That's why I realize that the sky isn't falling and the 10 Commandments crusaders are not doing anything remotely "Christian" or with any respect for the law of Alabama or the laws of our country.

131 posted on 08/23/2003 10:54:46 AM PDT by Texas_Dawg (I will not rest until every "little man" is destroyed.)
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To: Texas_Dawg
OK, I get it. You honestly aren't worried about anything. Well, God bless ya, and have a great day. Sometime when you're back in SF, take a walk down around the residential areas, or even the metro south of market. There are so many mentally ill homeless, it isn't safe to walk around anymore. Just an example. All the same ACLU lawyers like to keep them on the streets because we can't 'violate their rights' by taking them off and giving them treatment. Bring it all down, man. Smash the state.
132 posted on 08/23/2003 11:00:29 AM PDT by sfRummygirl (ok, stop laughing)
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To: sfRummygirl
Give all the mentally ill and homeless a copy of the 10 Commandments.
133 posted on 08/23/2003 11:03:09 AM PDT by Bluntpoint
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To: Bluntpoint
I think most of them need a little more than that, unfortunately. Although I do believe that they need the grace of God and human kindness. But not in a wimpy way. I get the feeling that some Christians on this site are the wussed-out kind. You know, the kind that think being Christian is about being non-confrontational all the time. That 70's commune junk.
134 posted on 08/23/2003 11:09:14 AM PDT by sfRummygirl (ok, stop laughing)
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To: sfRummygirl
Would the errection of a statute of Mary in front of the Courthouse meet the standards of the founding fathers?

Would you still be supporting Judge Moore from all his accusers here who would be calling him a "Papist?"
135 posted on 08/23/2003 11:12:51 AM PDT by Bluntpoint
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To: Bluntpoint
If for some reason the specific statue of Mary had an original root or importance in the founding fathers laws, then they would have done that. But they didn't. It is the specific ten commandments that are linked with our laws.Therefore, they should stay.
136 posted on 08/23/2003 11:16:57 AM PDT by sfRummygirl (ok, stop laughing)
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To: sfRummygirl
However, some of Judge Moore's biggest defenders says says this is as much a freedom of religion question than any other (freedom of religion v. freedom from religion).

If the Judge was execising such freedom with the errection of a Mary statute, do you think the folks here would be so stridently behind him?
137 posted on 08/23/2003 11:21:06 AM PDT by Bluntpoint
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To: Bluntpoint
It is a freedom of religion issue. That is why I mentioned the Savage braodcast yesterday, when he said the Universalist church is now advocating taking the crosses down form it's (and I think other denominations) churches, because it may offend non Christians.
That's not about freedom, it's about people desperately needing good psychotherapy.
And again, if the founding fathers had written our governing laws with a deep basis on specifically Mary, for some reason, then yes, she should be left as a historical and rooted figure. However, they didn't do that. So I don't know why you are talking about Mary.
138 posted on 08/23/2003 11:27:44 AM PDT by sfRummygirl (ok, stop laughing)
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To: sfRummygirl
Actually, our common law is based on Grecian Law. Which predated the 10 Commandments (year approx 1300 B.C.

Around 621 B.C. a citizen of Greece, named Draco, came up with laws (now referred to as Draco's Law) that we follow today. Such as: Giving the state exclusive right to punish a crime as compared to private justice.
139 posted on 08/23/2003 11:37:15 AM PDT by Bluntpoint
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To: sfRummygirl
Drakonian law included four major procedural features including: the necessity of a trial, the possibility of a pardon, which " . . . intended to protect both parties in a homicide case from a possibly fatal misunderstanding while they were negotiating a settlement of their dispute . . . " (Gagarin, 88), the protection of the killer, and the promise that " . . . due notice is to be given of a trial and . . . certain relatives and others will share in the prosecution" (Gagarin, 88). Draco also set up a specific procedure that was to be followed in circumstances of pardon (Gagarin).

See: http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:t0s0jNI9J4sJ:www.auburn.edu/~downejm/sp/alpdraco.html+Draco+law&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
140 posted on 08/23/2003 11:44:15 AM PDT by Bluntpoint
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