Conservative groups rally around Roy Moore in court fight

Four new amicus briefs have been filed in favor of ousted Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who continues to appeal a suspension from the bench.

An amicus brief is filed by parties who are not tied to a particular case, but have a strong interest in its outcome. Newly-filed briefs were submitted by the United States Justice Foundation, Sanctity of Marriage Alabama, a group of eight Alabama trial court judges, and attorney Richard Lawrence. Each party argued against the “unprecedented” nature of Moore’s suspension.

“These four amicus briefs continue to validate the trumped-up charges against Chief Justice Roy Moore,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “Chief Justice did nothing wrong and should be reinstated immediately so he can serve the people who elected him.”

Moore was suspended without pay for his defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage back in September. The Alabama Court of the Judiciary found that Moore’s order instructing probate judges to violate the SCOTUS decision violated judicial ethics and suspended him for the remainder of his term.

If upheld, the suspension ensures that Moore will never sit on the court again. The Alabama state constitution prevents people at or above the age of 70 from running for a seat on the Supreme Court. When Moore’s current term expires in 2019, he will be 71.

“This was a politically motivated effort by radical homosexual and transgender groups to remove me as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court because of outspoken opposition to their immoral agenda,” Moore said after the ruling. “This opinion violates not only the legal standards of evidence but also the rule of law which states that no judge can be removed from office except by unanimous vote.”

Moore was previously removed from the bench in 2003 when he refused to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Judicial Building. He was re-elected Chief Justice in 2012.