Three up, three down: heads of each Alabama branch of government removed in a year

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama has had a rough political year. Following the resignation of scandal-ridden Gov. Robert Bentley yesterday, each of the state’s three major political leaders has been removed in less than 365 days.

The heads of the state executive, legislative, and judicial branches were all removed (either voluntarily or by force) due to some sort of ethical misconduct. Here’s a refresher of what all went wrong in the Yellowhammer State.

Former Governor Robert Bentley (R)

The most recent of the scandals, Bentley’s story is perhaps the most wide in scope due to his position and resources. He formally announced his resignation yesterday and likely avoided becoming the first Alabama Governor to be impeached. Increased backlash against him followed the release of a report exposing details of corruption from within Bentley’s administration as he sought to cover up an alleged affair with his top aide, Rebekah Mason.

Bentley had been called on to resign by multiple state Republican leaders, including Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon and Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh. The Alabaman Republican Party steering committee had issued a call for Bentley to step down on Sunday.

On Monday afternoon, Bentley was booked in the Montgomery County Sherriff’s office, having cut a deal that will allow him to avoid a heavy sentence. As part of the agreement, he was compelled to immediately resign his office and give up his retirement and security benefits. He was charged with two misdemeanors for ethics violations and will be expected to pay thousands in fines and serve over 100 hours of community service. He also must repay over $8,000 to the state of Alabama.

Former Chief Justice Roy Moore (R)

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

Roy Moore’s removal from the Alabama Supreme Court late last year was actually his second time that he was booted off the bench. 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 2013.

Former House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn)

Last Summer, Speaker Hubbard was convicted of 12 of 23 charges by a Lee County Jury in Opelika for using his political position for personal gain. Hubbard made millions of dollars in various schemes designed to leverage the power of his office to enrich himself, and now he is in state prison.

Hubbard was at one point considered the most powerful man in Alabama politics. He successfully led the 2010 Republican campaign to re-take the State House for the first time since Reconstruction. After become the Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, Hubbard ruled with an iron fist.

After his conviction, former Yellowhammer CEO Cliff Sims wrote “Such a scenario would be a seismic political event, regardless of the individual; the Speaker’s post is arguably the most powerful position in state government. But Hubbard may have been the strongest speaker to ever hold the job, meaning his ouster will now lead to a power vacuum of tectonic proportions.”

Hubbard has since been replaced as speaker by Rep. Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia).