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Interview with Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore

Aired November 13, 2003 - 13:14   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get back to our top story out of Montgomery, Alabama. A nine-judge panel unanimously voting to remove the former state supreme court Chief Justice Roy Moore from his job, midway through his term.
Joining us live now is former Justice Moore.

How do you like hearing it that way, as "former Justice Moore?"

ROY MOORE, FMR. ALA. CHIEF JUSTICE: Well, of course, miles, I don't like to hear it that way, but I guess that's the way it's going to be right now.

We're still pursuing maybe an appeal in this case, to the Supreme Court, and then maybe more than that. But we'll take their verdict right now, knowing that it's completely adverse to our constitution, and our Constitution of the United States.

O'BRIEN: Why will you continue to appeal this? Why continue the fight?

MOORE: Well, because it's very wrong for a public official to be excluded from his office because of his religious beliefs and the acknowledgement of God. The acknowledgement of God is a predicate upon which this nation and our country was founded. It's contained in the First Amendment. The very First Amendment give us the right to acknowledge God. And our state constitution says that our justice system is established upon God. That's what this issue is about, whether or not a state official can acknowledge God, and the court said we cannot.

O'BRIEN: Mr. Moore, isn't it more about how the justice system works, and how you knowingly, willingly, defiantly, thumbed your nose at that justice system and its rules?

MOORE: Absolutely not, sir. It's the way the justice system works, you're correct. What is the rule of law? Is it the rule of a court? Is it the rule of a judge that's unelected and unrepentant of his behavior toward the Constitution of the United States? I think that it is about the Constitution. It is about what the rule of law is. And the rule of law is...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this. Mr. Moore, if other judges had thumbed their noses on some of your orders from your previous perch, how would you have reacted to that? MOORE: Judges, or anyone else, should thumb their nose at an unlawful order. Indeed, Lieutenant Caley in the '60s was prosecuted for killing innocent civilian at Milan, because he said he followed the orders of his superior officer, when indeed, the court said you shouldn't follow an unlawful order, and indeed today, we should not follow unlawful orders of federal judges who undermine the constitution of our state and our nation, and that's exactly what's happening in the federal judiciary.

O'BRIEN: You're a very popular man in Alabama. Lots of talk about how this has laid the groundwork for a potential political campaign for yourself. Have you contemplated that? Do you have any thoughts about it? Or will you in fact, as we've reported just a few moments ago, run for your old job?

MOORE: Well, I don't know what I'll do in the future. We'll make that decision in the future. But right now, we're just going to take each day at a time and realize that we're not apologetic for upholding the oath of our office. That's, indeed, our duty, and we'll continue to do that.

O'BRIEN: Do you have any regrets at all in picking this fight?

MOORE: Absolutely no regrets. We've done what we swore to do. When I took office, I said I would uphold the moral foundation of our law. That I have done. I have not denied God. That's exactly what they asked me to do to hold office, and I said could I not. They removed me.

O'BRIEN: Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, talking to us after he was unanimously voted out of his job. Thank you very much for your time. We look forward to seeing more of you in the future, clearly.

MOORE: Thank you, sir.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 13, 2003 - 13:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get back to our top story out of Montgomery, Alabama. A nine-judge panel unanimously voting to remove the former state supreme court Chief Justice Roy Moore from his job, midway through his term.
Joining us live now is former Justice Moore.

How do you like hearing it that way, as "former Justice Moore?"

ROY MOORE, FMR. ALA. CHIEF JUSTICE: Well, of course, miles, I don't like to hear it that way, but I guess that's the way it's going to be right now.

We're still pursuing maybe an appeal in this case, to the Supreme Court, and then maybe more than that. But we'll take their verdict right now, knowing that it's completely adverse to our constitution, and our Constitution of the United States.

O'BRIEN: Why will you continue to appeal this? Why continue the fight?

MOORE: Well, because it's very wrong for a public official to be excluded from his office because of his religious beliefs and the acknowledgement of God. The acknowledgement of God is a predicate upon which this nation and our country was founded. It's contained in the First Amendment. The very First Amendment give us the right to acknowledge God. And our state constitution says that our justice system is established upon God. That's what this issue is about, whether or not a state official can acknowledge God, and the court said we cannot.

O'BRIEN: Mr. Moore, isn't it more about how the justice system works, and how you knowingly, willingly, defiantly, thumbed your nose at that justice system and its rules?

MOORE: Absolutely not, sir. It's the way the justice system works, you're correct. What is the rule of law? Is it the rule of a court? Is it the rule of a judge that's unelected and unrepentant of his behavior toward the Constitution of the United States? I think that it is about the Constitution. It is about what the rule of law is. And the rule of law is...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this. Mr. Moore, if other judges had thumbed their noses on some of your orders from your previous perch, how would you have reacted to that? MOORE: Judges, or anyone else, should thumb their nose at an unlawful order. Indeed, Lieutenant Caley in the '60s was prosecuted for killing innocent civilian at Milan, because he said he followed the orders of his superior officer, when indeed, the court said you shouldn't follow an unlawful order, and indeed today, we should not follow unlawful orders of federal judges who undermine the constitution of our state and our nation, and that's exactly what's happening in the federal judiciary.

O'BRIEN: You're a very popular man in Alabama. Lots of talk about how this has laid the groundwork for a potential political campaign for yourself. Have you contemplated that? Do you have any thoughts about it? Or will you in fact, as we've reported just a few moments ago, run for your old job?

MOORE: Well, I don't know what I'll do in the future. We'll make that decision in the future. But right now, we're just going to take each day at a time and realize that we're not apologetic for upholding the oath of our office. That's, indeed, our duty, and we'll continue to do that.

O'BRIEN: Do you have any regrets at all in picking this fight?

MOORE: Absolutely no regrets. We've done what we swore to do. When I took office, I said I would uphold the moral foundation of our law. That I have done. I have not denied God. That's exactly what they asked me to do to hold office, and I said could I not. They removed me.

O'BRIEN: Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, talking to us after he was unanimously voted out of his job. Thank you very much for your time. We look forward to seeing more of you in the future, clearly.

MOORE: Thank you, sir.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com