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Thought you had heard the last of Alabama's suspended Chief Justice Roy Moore? Think again. When we last left the embattled judge, the Alabama Court of the Judiciary found him guilty of ethics violations after he issued an order to probate judges implying that they could ignore the Supreme Court's 2015 marriage equality decision. Now Roy Moore could be in a position of power again— this time in the U.S. Senate.
Americans United's Rob Boston writes: "If U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) is confirmed as U.S. attorney general, his seat in the Senate will be open. The governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley (R), will have to a name a replacement to fill out the rest of Sessions’ term, which expires in 2020. Bentley is getting a head start on things by interviewing potential replacements."
One of these replacements? You guessed it: Roy Moore.
This is a frightening proposition. Moore has already proven himself willing to break the law to satisfy his own religious beliefs, and his attempts to discriminate against LGBTQ people by denying them the right to marriage was egregious enough to cost him his job. He would be a dangerous addition to the U.S. Senate.
Luckily, Americans United has a long history of battling Roy Moore, including when we successfully fought Alabama's marriage equality ban in federal court this year, effectively ending Moore's crusade against LGBTQ folks' marriage rights in the state. If Moore and people like him attempt to religion to discriminate, we will be there. No matter what, we will not let up in the fight to ensure that no one is harmed by some else's religious beliefs, even if that "someone else" is a possible-U.S. senator.