Homophobic Judge "Only Doing His Job"
Doreen Brandt
365Gay.com Newscenter in Washington

March 4, 2002

Montgomery: The lawyer for Alabama's Chief Justice says gays should stop carping and change their ways.

Stephen Melchior, who is representing Moore in a complaint filed by Lambda Legal Defence and Education Fund  said "They want to kill the messenger. The message, that is, the law, is not popular to a particular group of people because of their conduct."

Lambda filed a complaint against Moore with the Judicial Inquiry Commission, after Moore wrote in a child-custody case that " homosexuality "an inherent evil".

Lambda's complaint said the judge's written argument demonstrates that Moore "harbours bias and fixed attitudes toward a significant segment of Alabama citizenry ... and that he cannot set aside his personal prejudices and religious beliefs to impartially and diligently decide each case on a case-by-case basis."

The Judicial Inquiry Commission investigates complaints of ethics code violations by state judges. 

Melchior said Moore was just stating Alabama law. "It doesn't matter whether Moore agreed with the law. It is his duty to report what the law is."

Alabama had decriminalized homosexual acts law, but in 1977 the Legislature amended the law to make homosexual conduct a crime, and consent is no defence, Melchior said.

Melchior called the complaint by Lambda a frivolous political effort to remove Moore for doing his job. He wants the Commission to drop the case.

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