Alabama Political Reporter: Unseal Judge Moore’s Case File
A political news organization based in Alabama has asked its state supreme court to unseal the records in the case against Judge Roy Moore.
This week, Alabama Political Reporter LLC filed a motion to intervene and unseal with the Alabama Supreme Court, seeking to provide transparency and public scrutiny of the factors and acts that led to Judge Roy Moore’s career-ending suspension earlier this month. Moore has also publicly asked for the files to be unsealed as he awaits an appeal hearing in his case.
“I call upon the press to demand that the Alabama Supreme Court unseal Case No. 1150818 and, if necessary, to intervene in that case,” Moore had said previously. “The public has a right to know why I have requested that the justices, who participated in that case, be disqualified from playing any role in my appeal. The Court has refused my requests to unseal Case No. 1150818. I ask the Supreme Court and the media to act.”
The motion was filed Wednesday morning by attorney John Cunningham of Gadsden, Alabama. It argues under the common law right-to-access and the Alabama Constitution’s requirement that all courts be open to the public.
Moore has also asked several members of the Alabama Supreme Court, as well as potential replacement jurists, to recuse themselves from his case, but he cannot publicly share the reasons because his case is under seal. His attorney, Liberty Counsel founder and chairman Mat Staver, supports Alabama Political Reporter’s motion.
“The public has a right to know the truth behind these politically motivated charges and actions from the justices and the Court of the Judiciary,” Staver said.
