Ethics Panel Clears Alabama Supreme Court Justice

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – A judicial ethics panel has dismissed a complaint against Alabama Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker over comments he made about the court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

PARKER

Parker’s attorney announced Friday that the complaint had been dismissed by the Judicial Inquiry Commission. Attorney Mat Staver called it a victory for free speech.

Parker, in a 2015 interview on a Christian-themed radio show, said the U.S. Supreme Court decision jumped outside of legal precedents to “impose their will on this country.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center filed the complaint accusing Parker of showing disrespect for the judiciary.

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended from the bench last month after the Court of the Judiciary ruled he urged probate judges to defy the U.S. Supreme Court on gay marriage.