Suspended Chief Justice Roy Moore was scheduled to appear in federal court this morning in an effort to have his judicial ethics charges dismissed.
But U.S. District Judge Harold Allbritton canceled that hearing yesterday, saying his eventual decision would be based on legal documents alone.
The Chief Justice is facing potential removal from office because of an administrative order he issued in January. The state Judicial Inquiry Commission says Moore encouraged Alabama’s probate judges to disobey a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Mat Staver is the founder of the Liberty Counsel and is representing Chief Justice Roy Moore. He says that just isn’t true.
“They charged him with a violation of the so-called ethics rules because of an administrative order that he issued, and yet when you read the three and a half to four pages of that order, there’s not a single thing in there that tells them to disobey the United States Supreme Court opinion.”
Moore is also scheduled to appear before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary next Monday for oral arguments. If the court doesn’t make a decision at that hearing, they’ll hold a trial September 28.
The family of a woman fatally shot by Auburn police officers is suing the officers involved and the city.
The Opelika-Auburn News reports Melissa Boarts’ family filed suit against the city of Auburn and Auburn police officers Michael Creighton and Daniel Humphries on Tuesday. Boarts was killed by police in early April after allegedly charging officers while armed with a weapon. Police were on the lookout for the woman after her mother called 911 saying she had a knife and may be suicidal.
The family’s attorney Julian McPhillps says the lawsuit was filed after months of unanswered requests for the release of documents and footage related to the shooting. City officials and Auburn police have not commented on the shooting.
Anglers and fishing fans will be making their way to north Alabama this weekend.
The 21st annual Forrest Wood Cup kicks off today at Wheeler Lake. The winner will be crowned this year’s best bass fisherman. 50 of the top bass anglers from across the country will compete daily. The top ten will battle it out for the grand prize of $300,000 on Sunday.
Tournament spokesman Joe Opager says this is one of the biggest events for bass fishing in the country.
“The Forrest Wood Cup event is the culmination of the Walmart FLW tour. This is our Super Bowl for the season. This tournament is a life-changer. There’s a lot of fun for the local community as well. For lack of a better term; once you catch that first fish, you’re hooked.”
Opager says they expect up to sixty thousand people to come by during some point over the weekend. This is the first time that Wheeler Lake has played host to the event.