MONTGOMERY, AL -- Today Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore will appear before the Court of the Judiciary, regarding the baseless charges filed against him by the Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) regarding his administrative order issued in January 2016.

The administrative order was merely a status order which stated a legal truism – namely the 2015 orders of the Alabama Supreme Court remained in effect, were currently under review by the Court, and that the Court would issue a ruling in the future. The administrative order did not state which way the Alabama Supreme Court would rule and did not tell probate judges to violate the U.S. Supreme Court opinion.

The administrative order stated: “I am not at liberty to provide any guidance to the Alabama probate judges on the effect of Obergefell on the existing orders of the Alabama Supreme Court. That issue remains before the entire Court which continues to deliberate on the matters.”

“The Judicial Inquiry Commission abused its authority when it filed charges against Chief Justice Roy Moore,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, who represents Moore. “The charges should never have been filed and must be dismissed. The JIC knows that it has no case and refuses to face the reality of the four-page administrative order, which any plain reading reveals did not direct the probate judges to disobey the U.S. Supreme Court. The JIC’s charges are full of colorful adjectives and lacking in substance,” said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.