Alabama Law And Roy Moore: What's The Verdict?

In 2017, Roy Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. Three women alleged that he had sexually assaulted them, two of whom were minors at the time. Moore denied the allegations of sexual assault. However, he acknowledged having known two of the women and later stated that he did not know any of these women and had not engaged in any sexual misconduct with anyone.

Moore was also accused of judicial misconduct and breaking judicial ethics rules during the fight over same-sex marriage in the state. He was twice removed from his position as chief justice by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary: first, for refusing a federal court order to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments, and second, for instructing probate judges to refuse to issue licenses for same-sex marriages, despite the U.S. Supreme Court having invalidated state laws prohibiting them.

In addition to the sexual misconduct and judicial ethics controversies, Moore has also been criticised for his conservative stances on religious liberty, his association with far-right groups and conspiracy theories, and his views on LGBT rights, abortion, and race.

Did Roy Moore break Alabama law by sexually assaulting minors?

Roy Moore was accused of sexually assaulting minors in November 2017, during his campaign for the U.S. Senate. Three women alleged that he had sexually assaulted them, two of whom were minors at the time. Six other women recalled Moore pursuing romantic relationships or engaging in inappropriate or unwanted behavior with them while they were between the ages of 14 and 22. Moore denied the allegations of sexual assault, but acknowledged that he may have approached and dated teenagers while he was in his 30s.

Such sexual contact between Moore and a 14-year-old would have been a felony under Alabama law, and punishable by up to ten years in prison. However, in the year following the allegations, no criminal charges were issued against Moore and the issue lost public attention.

In addition to the sexual assault allegations, Moore was also accused of inappropriate sexual or social conduct with several teenage girls. This included allegations that he had been banned from the Gadsden Mall in the early 1980s for attempting to pick up teenage girls. Moore denied these allegations and filed several lawsuits against his accusers and media organizations that reported the stories. In one case, a jury awarded Moore $8.2 million in damages in a defamation lawsuit against a Democratic-aligned political group.

Did Roy Moore break Alabama law by sexually harassing women?

In November 2017, multiple women accused Roy Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, of sexual misconduct. Three women alleged that he had sexually assaulted them, two of whom were minors at the time, while Moore was in his 30s. Six other women recalled Moore pursuing romantic relationships or engaging in inappropriate or unwanted behavior with them while they were between the ages of 14 and 22. Moore denied the allegations of sexual assault.

In Alabama, sexual contact between a 32-year-old and a 14-year-old would have been a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison. However, the statute of limitations for such a crime in Alabama is three years, meaning that Moore could not be charged for such a crime after 1982.

Moore was not charged with any crimes related to the allegations, and the issue lost public attention in the year following the accusations. However, one of the accusers, Leigh Corfman, filed a defamation lawsuit against Moore in January 2018 because he had said that her accusation was "false and malicious". Moore filed a defamation suit against Corfman and four others in April 2018. In August 2021, an Alabama judge dismissed Corfman's lawsuit against his Senate campaign, ruling that she did not prove that Moore's campaign staff or volunteers had knowingly made false statements or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. In February 2022, a jury found neither side defamed the other.

In addition to the criminal allegations, Moore's conduct may have violated Alabama's Code of Judicial Conduct, which states that judges should not engage in "conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the judicial office into disrepute." However, it is unclear if any disciplinary action was taken against Moore specifically related to the sexual misconduct allegations.

In summary, while Moore's alleged actions may have violated Alabama's Code of Judicial Conduct and constituted criminal offenses, he was not charged or convicted of any crimes, and a jury did not find sufficient evidence of defamation in the civil suits brought by Moore and one of his accusers.

Did Roy Moore break Alabama law by defying the US Supreme Court?

Roy Moore, a former Alabama chief justice, was suspended in May 2016 for defying a U.S. Supreme Court decision about same-sex marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges). He was also removed from office twice, in 2003 and 2017, for judicial misconduct by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.

In 2003, Moore was removed from his position for refusing a federal court order to remove a marble monument of the Ten Commandments that he had placed in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building.

In 2017, Moore was suspended for instructing probate judges to refuse to issue licenses for same-sex marriages, despite the U.S. Supreme Court having invalidated state laws prohibiting them.

In addition to these controversies, Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, including allegations of sexual assault. These allegations were made during Moore's 2017 U.S. Senate campaign, in which he lost to Democratic candidate Doug Jones.

While Moore's defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage resulted in his suspension, it is unclear whether he broke any Alabama laws. However, his refusal to comply with the Court's ruling was deemed judicial misconduct by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary, leading to his removal from office.

Did Roy Moore break Alabama law by disobeying a federal court order?

Roy Moore, a former Alabama chief justice, was accused of breaking Alabama law by disobeying a federal court order to remove a giant granite monument of the Ten Commandments. Moore had installed the monument in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery. When he refused to comply with the court order, he was removed from his position by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary in November 2003. This was the first of two occasions that Moore was removed from the position of chief justice for judicial misconduct.

The Ten Commandments monument controversy began in 2001 when Moore, who had been elected chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court earlier that year, had a 5,280-pound granite block installed in the rotunda of the state judicial building. The block was inscribed with quotes from the Declaration of Independence, the national anthem, and several founding fathers, as well as two large tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments.

On October 30, 2001, the ACLU of Alabama, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a lawsuit arguing that the monument's presence in a government building "sends a message to all who enter...that the government endorses and encourages the practice of religion in general and Judeo-Christianity in particular."

In November 2002, federal judge Myron Herbert Thompson ruled that the monument was unconstitutional and ordered its removal by January 3, 2003. Moore defied this ruling, appealing to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which upheld the lower court's decision in July 2003.

On August 14, 2003, with the monument still in place, Moore announced his intention to defy the court order. Rallies in support of Moore and the monument were held, with speakers including Moore himself, Alan Keyes, and the Reverend Jerry Falwell.

On August 20, 2003, the deadline for removal passed, and Moore continued to refuse to comply. As a result, the Alabama Supreme Court unanimously overruled Moore and ordered the monument's removal. Moore was suspended from his position as chief justice on August 22, 2003, pending a hearing by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.

In November 2003, the Court of the Judiciary ruled unanimously that Moore had violated the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics and that he should be removed from office. Moore appealed this decision to the Alabama Supreme Court, which rejected his arguments and upheld the ruling in April 2004.

In addition to the Ten Commandments monument controversy, Moore was also suspended and ultimately removed from his position as chief justice for a second time in 2016-2017 for instructing probate judges to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, contrary to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Did Roy Moore break Alabama law by attempting to order the state government to continue the ban on same-sex marriage?

Roy Moore, a former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, was suspended in May 2016 for attempting to order the state government to continue the ban on same-sex marriage, even after it was deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Moore's actions were deemed to be in contravention of Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Moore was suspended for the remainder of his term, which was slated to end in 2019.

Moore's actions were not his first brush with controversy. He has been removed from office twice for judicial misconduct by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary. In 2003, he was removed for refusing a federal court order to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments that he had installed in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building.

Moore has also been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, some of whom were minors at the time of the alleged incidents. He has denied the allegations of sexual assault, but acknowledged that he may have approached and dated teenagers while he was in his 30s.

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