Inside...
* Bush, Israel, Favored in Poll
* Petitions: Lift "Gag
Order"
* When "EE Happens"
*
Our Greatest Weapon
* Finance Reform Advances
*
Not to Worry
|
|
Accusations Fly: Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, left, accused Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in an interview with Moore’s attorney, Stephen Melchior, right, of issuing a “gratuitous” opinion that could be used to “demonize homosexuals in Alabama.” Melchior explained that Moore merely applied Alabama law.
|
Anger Greets Moore Opinion
in Homosexual Custody Suit |
Homosexual activists and their advocates lashed out in fury February at Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore after he declared homosexual conduct an “inherent evil against which children must be protected.”
Moore’s declaration came in a unanimous Alabama Supreme Court ruling against a lesbian mother seeking custody of her three minor children. Moore explained in a concurring opinion that “from its earliest history, the law of Alabama has consistently condemned homosexuality” and that those who engage in homosexual conduct are “presumptively unfit to have custody of minor children….”
To make his point, Moore cited court precedents, state statutes, the common law, a legal source dating to the sixth century, and the Bible.
Explosive Reaction
All of which triggered an immediate and explosive reaction in Alabama and around the nation.
“Moore’s opinion could have been written by the Taliban,” said Lorri L. Jean, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. “He has proven that he is a religious fanatic who cannot separate his personal beliefs from his judicial mandate to dispense fair and impartial justice. There is
no place for such fanaticism in the courts of America.” The NGLTF joined five other |
homosexual groups at a press conference in Alabama’s capital, Montgomery, to call for Moore’s resignation.
More pressure came from the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, which filed an ethics complaint, accusing the Chief Justice of violating the state’s judicial code of ethics. “Chief Justice Moore’s statements make it abundantly clear that he is incapable of giving any lesbian or gay person in Alabama their fair day in court,” a Lambda official said.
continued on page four
| Gift
Sent to Defense Fund |
“Unbelievable timeliness” said Stephen Melchior, attorney for Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, when he learned in early February that an initial $50,000 gift had been sent to the Ten Commandments Defense Fund. Melchior said he very much appreciates the gift to the Fund, which was made possible by donations from friends of Coral Ridge Ministries.
The ACLU and two other groups, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Southern Poverty Law Center,
continued on page five |
Pages 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
Next >> |
|