The top judge in the US state of Alab-ama was suspended on Friday after a judicial oversight body filed a complaint over his efforts to stop same-sex marriages, media reports said.
The top judge in the US state of Alab-ama was suspended on Friday after a judicial oversight body filed a complaint over his efforts to stop same-sex marriages, media reports said.
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore (69) potentially faces a hearing in front of a panel of judges, lawyers and other appointees. Sanctions could include removing him from office.
The judicial inquiry commission complaint said Justice Moore had “flagrantly disregarded and abused his authority” in trying to block same-sex marriages, media reports said.
Justice Moore responded that the commission had no authority over the matter, saying he would fight the charges and “expected to prevail.”
He accused the commission of listening to “people like (local transgender activist) Ambrosia Starling, a professed transvestite, and other gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals, as well as organisations which support their agenda.”
Justice Moore has repeatedly tried to stop same-sex marriage in Alabama. In 2015, he told probate judges to ignore a federal court order striking down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. In January, he ruled that Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriages is legal and told probate judges there they had a “ministerial duty” to stop issuing licenses to gay couples.
