Times editorial: Moore needs to be removed from office

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is symptomatic of what is wrong with leadership in the state.

Seated over the Supreme Court of Alabama, Moore should be conducting business as a dedicated jurist weighing issues by constitutional realities while not weighing in with personal perspective that reeks of political ambition.

Moore, twice entrusted with the honorable seat of chief justice, has failed to fulfill the role of his office. The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission has recommended that Moore should be swiftly removed from his position for urging the state’s probate judges to defy federal courts on gay marriage. The Alabama Court of the Judiciary, a panel of judges, lawyers and citizens who hear misconduct complaints against judges, will decide if Moore violated the standards of judicial standards.

Moore’s attorneys are arguing that the chief justice was simply summarizing a state injunction in answer to questions from probate judges. Nevertheless, he made his position clear and left many probate judges in a state of confusion.

The federal court ruling was clear and didn’t need the political circus created by Moore’s intrusion into the matter. When officials holding sensitive positions of power sidetrack from reason, the state becomes in danger of costly lawsuits because of discrimination. As worrisome as the chief justice may find same-sex marriage, the order from the federal courts was to ensure that all American citizens are ensured certain rights. A person’s race or sexual orientation does not diminish or threaten the existence or freedoms of citizens of other races or beliefs.

Government at all levels — executive, legislative and judicial — exists to ensure that citizens are recognized equally under American laws. Religious beliefs are an important aspect of most people’s lives, but government’s role in that area is not to establish a religion or to reject a religion.

Moore has twice proven he cannot hold a judicial seat without treading beyond an important boundary of that office. He should be removed from his position. If he wants a wider berth to express his views, he should run for an office where he can have the stage he apparently desires.