MONTGOMERY, AL - When the Court of the Judiciary (COJ) unlawfully suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore for life, the members of the court invented a punishment that is much worse than removal because the Chief is left without salary, benefits, and the ability to receive retirement or earn any income. When his term expires in January 2019, Chief Justice Moore cannot run again for election as a judge due to his age. Therefore, the suspension until the end of his term is a de facto removal from the bench and is far more punitive.
Section 150 of Article 6 of the Alabama Constitution states that justices of the supreme court or other judges "shall receive no fees or perquisites, nor hold any office, except judicial offices, of profit or trust under this state or the United States, or any other government, during the term for which they have been elected or appointed." Whether this applies to the Chief is unclear because no one has ever been put in this situation before.
