Former Ala. Chief Justice Ousted over Ten Commandments Flap Has Lead in Comeback Bid
A former Alabama chief justice is staging a comeback after his ouster almost a decade ago for his refusal to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state judicial building.
Former Chief Justice Roy Moore credited “God’s favor” and grassroots support for his lead in the Republican primary in a three-way race, report the Mobile Press-Register and the Montgomery Advertiser. At about 2:15 a.m., Moore was ahead of the 50 percent level needed to avoid a runoff by about 4,600 votes. He expected to win without a runoff, though a challenger wasn’t so sure.
During the campaign, Moore focused on his ability to run the court system during a financial crisis. He said he would not try to bring back the Ten Commandments monument. Before he cast his vote yesterday, he rode to the polls on a horse.
A Birmingham News columnist had this to say about the comeback: “Talk about your resurrections. After defying a court order, stepping down from his job as chief justice in 2003, losing two gubernatorial primaries and spending years on the evangelical speaking circuit, Moore could become the state’s top court voice. Again.”
Prior coverage:
Mobile Press-Register: “Roy Moore’s ouster from Supreme Court largely absent in chief justice race”
