By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – A spokesperson for Attorney General Bill Pryor says an attempt to remove him from an upcoming judicial ethics case has no merit. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore will face the Court of the Judiciary next month. He's charged with refusing to obey a federal court order. A motion has been filed with the Court of the Judiciary listing 14 reasons why Pryor should not be allowed to prosecute Moore. The motion argues Pryor once defended Moore when Moore was a circuit judge in Etowah County. The motion says Pryor supported Moore's efforts to keep a Ten Commandments display on his circuit courtroom wall. The motion also accuses the attorney general of having a conflict of interest because of his standing nomination to a federal judgeship. The Attorney General's spokesperson, Joy Patterson, says the charges against Moore involve his refusal to follow a federal court injunction, and she says Pryor has never condoned defying a court order.