The Alabama Supreme Court, including the notoriously homophobic Chief Justice Roy Moore, are being sued by a group of rightwing organizations for not ruling on a same-sex marriage case quickly enough. The groups have filed a formal complaint with state Judicial Inquiry Commission.
Marriage equality court cases have pingponged through the Alabama justice system following a federal court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. After U.S. District Judge Callie Granada’s ruling, Moore issued an administrative order to probate judges to ignore the federal court ruling and to abide by state laws.
After the Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality, the Alabama Supreme Court asked the parties to submit arguments on the “effect of the Supreme Court’s decision on this court’s existing orders in this case.” After a flurry of motions and orders have followed; including another order from Moore falsely claiming that the Supreme Court’s ruling was invalid in Alabama.
“There was a lot of confusion in the state,” Moore said after issuing his January order. “That confusion results in disorder. As the administrative head of the judicial [branch in Alabama], my duty is to clarify. All I’m saying in this order, is that until there is a further decision by the [state] Supreme Court, the existing orders remain in full force.”
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“While we have confidence in the wisdom and the integrity of the honorable justices on the Alabama Supreme Court, we cannot but acknowledge that such confidence weakens with each passing day that leaves [the case] unresolved,” the complaint reads. “Failure of the Alabama Supreme Court to rule expeditiously in API – despite their own request for briefs, an emergency petition, and a petition for declaratory order in a critical time of legal conflict, suggests nothing less than a dereliction of duty to constituents and other elected officials who are looking to the court for direction. Canon 3 (Canons of Judicial Ethics) was no doubt established to prevent this this kind of extended silence and the negative effect such silence has had in the State of Alabama.”
The Barbour County Tea Party, Alabama Patriots, Rainy Day Patriots, Conservative Christians of Alabama, Common Sense Campaign, Christian Development and Renewal Ministries and several ministers signed on to the complaint according to World Net Daily.
