Roy Moore For Senate?

Assuming that Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions is confirmed as Attorney General next month, which is pretty much certain, then Alabama’s Governor will have the responsibility of naming a replacement to fill his seat until a Special Election can be held. Unfortunately, one of the names he’s apparently considering is someone who clearly doesn’t belong in the United States Senate:

Gov. Robert Bentley has interviewed 11 candidates as possible replacements for U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, including suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore.

The Montgomery Advertiser reported that Moore was interviewed.

Moore told AL.com that the governor’s office contacted him for the interview, which was held Tuesday.

“I’d be honored to accept an appointment to the U.S. Senate if it was offered,” Moore said.

Through today, the governor has interviewed the following candidates, according to communications director Yasamie August:

Former state Rep. Perry Hooper of Montgomery; Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Glenn Murdock; Rep. Connie Rowe, R-Jasper; Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur; Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster; U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville; Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston; Sen. Bill Hightower, R-Mobile; Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Montrose; Rep. Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa.

Interviews will continue next week, August said.

President-elect Donald Trump has named Sessions as his choice for attorney general.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled the confirmation hearing for Sessions for Jan. 10 and 11.

Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

If Sessions is confirmed as attorney general, Bentley would appoint a replacement to fill the vacant Senate seat.

State law also requires Bentley to order a special election for someone to fill the remainder of Sessions’ term. Sessions would have been up for re-election in 2020.

The law does not set a specific time for the special election but says the governor must “forthwith order an election” if the vacancy occurs more than four months before the next general election, which is in 2018.

Attorney General Luther Strange has announced he would run in the special election.

As you will recall, Moore was recently suspended from his role as Chief Justice due to his failure to comply with repeated Federal District Court Orders dealing with the issuance of marriage licenses for same-sex couples. This was the second time in his judicial career that he was suspended, with the first coming more than a decade ago now when he refused to comply with a Federal Court’s decision regarding a Ten Commandments display at the Alabama Supreme Court. Since members of the Alabama Supreme Court are elected, Moore was able to eventually retake the bench by winning his seat back. Somehow, I doubt that Governor Bentley would appoint Moore to the Senate, but there’s nothing that would stop him from running for the office in a Special Election. The only good news in that respect is that Moore’s two attempts to run for the Republican nomination for Governor in between his stints as Chief Justice ended up being embarrassing failures. Hopefully, that would happen in the Senate too.

Incidentally, yes the Attorney General of Alabama really is named Luther Strange and, come to think of it, there would be something hilarious about having a “Senator Strange” in office in Washington.

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Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Stormy Dragon says:

    Senator Strange

    WORST MARVEL SEQUEL EVER

  2. slimslowslider says:

    Oh Dreher

  3. al-Ameda says:

    Moore told AL.com that the governor’s office contacted him for the interview, which was held Tuesday.
    “I’d be honored to accept an appointment to the U.S. Senate if it was offered,” Moore said.

    As Republicans are wont to do; they again remind us that it can always get worse.

  4. DrDaveT says:

    What’s the problem? Moore is perfectly qualified for this Senate — he’s white, male, bigoted, theocratic, ignorant, intolerant, partisan, uninterested in separation of powers or secular government, and self-righteous.

    As Hunter S. Thompson said, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”