A panel of retired Alabama judges will be the ones to hear suspended Chief Justice Roy Moore's bid to return to the bench.
Yesterday, the current justices on the Alabama Supreme Court announced they will recuse themselves from hearing Moore's appeal because their impartiality might be questioned.
The Alabama Supreme Court issued a 5-3 decision describing the selection of replacement judges. They say acting Chief Justice Lyn Stuart and Governor Robert Bentley will prepare a pool of retired appellate, circuit and district judges. They’ll then draw 50 names at random from that group. The first seven willing judges will serve as the special Supreme Court to hear Moore's appeal.
A judicial panel suspended Moore for the remainder of his term last month after finding he urged state probate judges to defy federal courts on gay marriage. Moore denies those accusations, saying he never told probate judges what to do.