The 'Ten Commandments Judge' Wants His Seat Back
Republican Roy Moore, Alabama's controversial "Ten Commandments Judge," is back on the ballot this year, running for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court — despite being removed from that office nearly a decade ago.
In a state as red as they come, he is facing last-minute Democratic challenger Bob Vance, who is reaching out to moderate Republicans turned off by Moore's politics.
Moore has been on the front lines of the culture wars since the 1990s, when, as an Alabama circuit judge, he displayed a small wooden plaque of the Ten Commandments in his Gadsden courtroom. In a 1997 interview with NPR, he said it was his duty to acknowledge God.
"Separation of church and state never meant to separate God from government," he said. "The First Amendment never meant to divide our country from an acknowledgement of God."
A Veteran Of The Culture Wars
Ensuing court battles brought Moore national notoriety and a loyal following in Alabama. He was elected chief justice in 2000 and followed through with his campaign promise to erect a Ten Commandments monument in the state judicial building. It was the size of a washing machine and copyrighted by Moore.
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Roy Moore was ousted from his position as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court because he refused to remove a marble statue of the Ten Commandments from the courthouse.