Press conference
Press conference
Judge Roy MooreAugust 21, 2003
Let me begin by stating that I was very disappointed with my colleagues on the court, who have decided to act in response to Judge Myron Thompson's order, to exercise authority under Section 12 (5) (20) of the code of Alabama, to remove the monument of the Ten Commandments from the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building.
But let me assure you, the fight to defend our constitutional rights to acknowledge God must and will continue. Very soon.
Very soon, we will file petition for writ of certiorari before the United States Supreme Court, to resolve clearly our unalienable right to acknowledge God, under the First Amendment.
The people of this state elected me as chief justice to uphold our Constitution, which establishes our justice system on the invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God. To do my duty, I must acknowledge God. That's what this case is about.
Judge Myron Thompson said clearly, in closing argument, "Can the state acknowledge God?" He said that the acknowledgment of the Judeo-Christian God crosses the line between the permissible and the impermissible, and that the acknowledgment of God violates the Constitution of the United States.
Not only does Judge Thompson put himself above the law, but above God, as well. I have been ordered to do something I cannot do, and that is, violate my conscience.
I hear others talk of a rule of law. If the "rule of law" means to do everything a judge tells you to do, we would still have slavery in this country. If the "rule of law" means to do everything a judge tells you to do, the Declaration of Independence would be a meaningless document. This so-called "rule of law" causes those who strongly oppose Roe vs. Wade because it is the taking of human life and the slaughter of millions of innocent babies, to condemn those babies to death because they do not understand that the true organic law, the Declaration of Independence, states, "We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The "rule of law" in 1858 declared that slaves were property, simply because a judge said so. Dr. Martin Luther King is proof enough that great men do follow the rule of law, and not the rule of men.
I say, enough is enough. We must dare defend our rights, which is the motto of this great state. No judge or man can dictate in whom we can believe and in whom we trust.
The Ninth and Tenth Amendments are not a part of the Constitution merely to make the Bill of Rights a round number. The Ninth Amendment secured our rights as a people, and the Tenth Amendment guaranteed our right as a sovereign state.
I was dismayed and angry to learn that while I was away, someone had placed a shroud around the Ten Commandments. Before the federal district court here in Montgomery sits a bust of the statue of the Greek god Themis. You won't find federal authorities scurrying around to conceal that bust behind a screen.
And neither will we hide the truth any longer. I will not violate my oath, I cannot forsake my conscience, I will not neglect my duty, and I will never, never deny the God upon Whom our laws and our country depend.
But let me assure you, the fight to defend our constitutional rights to acknowledge God must and will continue. Very soon.
Very soon, we will file petition for writ of certiorari before the United States Supreme Court, to resolve clearly our unalienable right to acknowledge God, under the First Amendment.
The people of this state elected me as chief justice to uphold our Constitution, which establishes our justice system on the invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God. To do my duty, I must acknowledge God. That's what this case is about.
Judge Myron Thompson said clearly, in closing argument, "Can the state acknowledge God?" He said that the acknowledgment of the Judeo-Christian God crosses the line between the permissible and the impermissible, and that the acknowledgment of God violates the Constitution of the United States.
Not only does Judge Thompson put himself above the law, but above God, as well. I have been ordered to do something I cannot do, and that is, violate my conscience.
I hear others talk of a rule of law. If the "rule of law" means to do everything a judge tells you to do, we would still have slavery in this country. If the "rule of law" means to do everything a judge tells you to do, the Declaration of Independence would be a meaningless document. This so-called "rule of law" causes those who strongly oppose Roe vs. Wade because it is the taking of human life and the slaughter of millions of innocent babies, to condemn those babies to death because they do not understand that the true organic law, the Declaration of Independence, states, "We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The "rule of law" in 1858 declared that slaves were property, simply because a judge said so. Dr. Martin Luther King is proof enough that great men do follow the rule of law, and not the rule of men.
I say, enough is enough. We must dare defend our rights, which is the motto of this great state. No judge or man can dictate in whom we can believe and in whom we trust.
The Ninth and Tenth Amendments are not a part of the Constitution merely to make the Bill of Rights a round number. The Ninth Amendment secured our rights as a people, and the Tenth Amendment guaranteed our right as a sovereign state.
I was dismayed and angry to learn that while I was away, someone had placed a shroud around the Ten Commandments. Before the federal district court here in Montgomery sits a bust of the statue of the Greek god Themis. You won't find federal authorities scurrying around to conceal that bust behind a screen.
And neither will we hide the truth any longer. I will not violate my oath, I cannot forsake my conscience, I will not neglect my duty, and I will never, never deny the God upon Whom our laws and our country depend.