Alabama Chief Justice Suspended for the Remainder of his Term

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore will have to sit out the rest of his term.

The 9 member Alabama Court of the Judiciary voted unanimously to suspend Moore until the end of his term in 20-19.

The panel found that the Chief Justice had violated standards of judicial ethics when he issued an order encouraging County Probate Judges to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples six months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage could move forward in all 50 states.

While the board did not remove the 69 year old Moore from the bench, the suspension effectively ends his career on the bench. Alabama law states that no one may be elected or appointed to a judicial office after reaching the age of 70.