-Caveat Lector-
Religious Judge's Ethics Questioned
By JAY REEVES
.c The Associated Press
GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) -- A judge who fought to keep a Ten Commandments plaque
hanging in his courtroom may have violated ethics laws by soliciting
donations from people who supported his crusade, a state panel has ruled.
The Alabama Ethics Commission voted 5-0 on Wednesday that there was probable
cause to believe Roy Moore violated the state law prohibiting public
officials from using their offices for private financial gain.
Ethics Commission Director Jim Sumner said Thursday that members believed
Moore also spent money on more than legal expenses and used the ``mantle of
his office'' to solicit funds. He declined to elaborate.
Moore denied personally raising money or receiving any money from the fund,
which he said is maintained by his attorney. Moore said he is being
persecuted for his defense of Christianity.
Dean Young, a former spokesman for Moore and founder of the ``Judge Roy Moore
Fund,'' said it had raised over $100,000 two years ago. Up-to-date figures
were not immediately available.
The ethics commission sent the case to Attorney General Bill Pryor, who must
decide whether to take the case before a grand jury.
Pryor, a Republican who once spoke at a 1997 rally for Moore, said he had not
seen the ethics referral and could not comment.
If charged with a crime and convicted, Moore could face removal from the
bench, up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Moore's fight began in 1995 when the American Civil Liberties Union
challenged his hand-carved courtroom display. The federal lawsuit eventually
was dismissed.
The Alabama Supreme Court in January dismissed on technical grounds a lawsuit
filed by Pryor and former Gov. Fob James' legal adviser that sought to
declare Moore's display legal. James had threatened to call out the National
Guard if necessary to keep the plaque from being removed.
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