Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore’s effort to have his ethics charges dismissed has been thrown out by a federal judge.
Yesterday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Harold Allbritton issued an order dismissing Moore’s lawsuit against the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission. Alabama’s chief justice is facing ethics charges that could result in his removal from office, and Judge Allbritton says that state process should continue without federal interference.
Chief Justice Moore sued the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission in May, accusing them of violating his rights by automatically suspending him from the bench when filing ethics charges against him. Those charges relate to an order Moore issued in January encouraging the state’s probate judges to defy a U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
Moore is scheduled to appear before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary on Monday for oral arguments. If a decision is not reached beforehand, the case will go to trial September 28.
Civil rights supporters will gather in Selma tomorrow. APR’s Pat Duggins has more on the 51st anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.
The National Voting Rights Museum and the Bridge Crossing Jubilee are collaborating on tomorrow’s remembrance in Selma. It was on August 6th in 1965 when President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. Passage came six months after civil rights marchers were attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
APR spoke with the Reverend Jesse Jackson for our international award-winning documentary “More Bridges to Cross.” Jackson echoed concerns over a Supreme Court ruling.
“There’s nothing much to celebrate, I mean, really we’re under attack. We should be protesting, not just celebrating, the voting rights act has been gutted.”
An appreciation ceremony for the voting rights act will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Bridge House Theater.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will be issuing new regulations this fall for hunters.
Game checking will now be mandated in order to more accurately account for the wildlife being hunted and to allow for extending the hunting season to February the 10th.
Director of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Chuck Sykes says extending the season will help landowners manage their properties they hunt on.
“It gives them ten more days to hunt, I mean, it’s putting the option to manage their property the way they say fit in the hands of landowners and hunting clubs. They don’t have to hunt to February the 10th if they don’t want to. We’re giving them a framework, and they can choose to hunt however they want to.”
Sykes encourages hunters with additional questions to log on to the state of Alabama’s conservation website and look at the game check seminars.