Ala. `Ten Commandments' Judge files notice of appeal in AU lawsuit. (People & Events).

Alabama Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices, elected in partisan elections for staggered six year terms. Chief Justice Roy Moore has announced that he will appeal a federal court ruling ordering him to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the State Judicial Building in Montgomery.

Moore's attorneys filed a formal notice of appeal Dec. 10. In a statement announcing the court action, Moore declared, "Federal district courts have no jurisdiction or authority to prohibit the acknowledgment of God that is specifically recognized in the Constitution of Alabama.... For a federal court to say we cannot acknowledge God contradicts our history and our law."

U.S. District Court Judge Myron H. Thompson ruled on Nov. 18 that Moore's display violates the separation of church and state

See also: .

Separation of church and state is a political and legal doctrine which states that government and religious institutions are to be kept separate and independent of one another. . The suit against Moore was brought by Americans United, the American Civil Liberties Union American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nonpartisan organization devoted to the preservation and extension of the basic rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution. of Alabama and the Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an internationally known nonprofit organization that files Class Action lawsuits to fight discrimination and unequal treatment; it also tracks hate groups and runs a program to educate Americans about racism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of .

Richard Cohen, an attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Moore's statement indicates ignorance of the law. "I think what we have heard today echoed George Wallace" Cohen cohen
or kohen

(Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. said. "[Moore] said the federal courts have no authority to order him to do anything Alabama law doesn't require him to do. Whatever views Moore has about this, federal law is supreme."

The lawsuit, Glassroth v. Moore, is expected to move up to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

In other news about religious symbols on government property:

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Publication:	Church & State
Article Type:	Brief Article
Geographic Code:	1U6AL
Date:	Jan 1, 2003
Words:	223
Previous Article:	Faith-based Folly: Bush, bigotry and our tax dollars. (Editorial).
Next Article:	Americans United attorneys have written to government officials. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
Topics:	Judges Cases Religious aspects Public buildings Laws, regulations and rules Religious aspects Religion and literature Religious literature Cases

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