# Could Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore lose his job if he doesn't comply? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 22, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-supreme-court-justice-roy-moore-lose-his-job-if-he-doesnt-comply/196952 "2003-08-22T16:16:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-supreme-court-justice-roy-moore-lose-his-job-if-he-doesnt-comply/196952/21 "2003-08-23T00:14:17Z")
> [@](#): > > And if memory serves me correctly, at least one United States Supreme Court Justice was never a lawyer. Perhaps we need more of that type. ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-supreme-court-justice-roy-moore-lose-his-job-if-he-doesnt-comply/196952/22 "2003-08-23T00:15:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spavined Gelding \* > **Minty G.** , your research program apparently gives you access to the Alabama statutes. Mine does not. Got 'em on Google. 😃 > [@](#): > > Will you tell us what the Alabama statutes say about removing a judge or a justice of the state supreme court. How 'bout a constitutional amendment creating the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission and the Court of the Judiciary? The JIC acts kind of like an ethics grand jury, and the CotJ tries the cases given to it by the JIC. The CotJ has the power to remove or censure any state judge for violating the Canon of Ethics or other misconduct. [http://www.alalinc.net/jic/docs/jicconst.pdf](http://www.alalinc.net/jic/docs/jicconst.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-supreme-court-justice-roy-moore-lose-his-job-if-he-doesnt-comply/196952/23 "2003-08-23T00:18:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Age Quod Agis \* > To build on **Polycarp** ’s post (if it’s possible for me to build on a post by someone with superior knowlede and eloquence), Justices of the Peace in Texas frequently do not have legal training (they’re roughly equivalent to small claims court judges). True, but every other judicial office in the state requires a license in good standing and at least 10(?) years of practice in the state. Such requirements are almost universal, though not in the federal system. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-supreme-court-justice-roy-moore-lose-his-job-if-he-doesnt-comply/196952/24 "2003-08-23T02:21:46Z")
**Minty** , or someone knowledgeable about the Alabama removal procedure, are we to take it that the Commission and the special court are already in place? Apparently the Commission is in place since that is where the complaint against Justice Moore was filed and, presumably, they are the people who actually imposed the 10 day suspension. Surely, the whole thing, the inquiry by the Commission, the trial to the special court and a decision by the special court cannot be completed in 10 days. A caveat: these people are taking on the chief justice of the state supreme court. The gentleman has considerable judicial power and seems to have a significant popular following. He could be a dangerous man to screw around with. The old adage is if you shoot at the king you had better kill him with the first shot. Thank you for the Alabama Constitution link. ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-supreme-court-justice-roy-moore-lose-his-job-if-he-doesnt-comply/196952/25 "2003-08-23T02:37:00Z")
As I read that amendment, both the Judicial Inquiry Commission and the Court of the Judiciary are standing bodies, though their duties appear to be on an as-needed basis. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-supreme-court-justice-roy-moore-lose-his-job-if-he-doesnt-comply/196952/26 "2003-08-23T03:52:22Z")
Moore has been suspended from his office (with pay), pending a hearing by the Court of Judicial Inquiry. ---
**Author:** ![45\_70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/5f9b8f/32.png) [@45\_70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/45_70)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-supreme-court-justice-roy-moore-lose-his-job-if-he-doesnt-comply/196952/27 "2003-08-23T06:47:49Z")
They should affix the atricle in question to Judge Moores ankles with good rope and drop it in Mobile bay. What part about " the government will make no religeon" doesn’t he understand? Disbar him and throw him out. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-supreme-court-justice-roy-moore-lose-his-job-if-he-doesnt-comply/196952/28 "2003-08-23T09:54:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 45/70 \* > \*\*They should affix the atricle in question to Judge Moores ankles with good rope and drop it in Mobile bay. What part about " the government will make no religeon" doesn’t he understand? Disbar him and throw him out. \*\* Actually, reasonable people have disagreed for years about exactly how much religion is OK in the public sphere. If the US government weren’t so hypocritial about the whole subject, it would be a lot clearer to people exactly what the 1st Amendment was supposed to mean. What Judge Moore (or the future ex-judge Moore) does not seem to understand is the concept of being in contempt of court. It appears that he is about to get some hands on experience with that real soon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-alabama-supreme-court-justice-roy-moore-lose-his-job-if-he-doesnt-comply/196952.md?page=1)