WMU HOME > ABOUT WMU > WMU NEWS Ten Commandments Judge speaks at WMUJan. 13, 2005 KALAMAZOO--Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy S. Moore, also known as the "Ten Commandments Judge," will speak at Western Michigan University Thursday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. in the East Ballroom of the Bernhard Center. Moore's lecture, which is free and open to the public, is titled "God and the First Amendment." In November 2003, Alabama's Court of the Judiciary expelled Moore from his position. This ruling came after Moore refused to move a Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building in Montgomery. Moore had the 5,280 pound granite monument placed in the rotunda in August 2001. "Chief Justice Moore is a courageous hero, who has relentlessly defended the state's right to acknowledge God," says Matt Hall, chair of the College Republicans at WMU, which is sponsoring Moore's presentation. "His stance has served as motivation to millions of Christians and First Amendment defenders across the country." Moore is a native of Etowah County, Ala. He completed his Juris Doctorate degree in 1977 from the University of Alabama School of Law. He served as a captain in the military police corps of the U.S. Army and also served as a company commander in Vietnam. During his professional career, Moore became the first full-time deputy district attorney in Etowah County and served in that position from 1977 to 1982. In 1984, Moore undertook private law practice in Gadsden, until he became circuit judge, Sixteenth Judicial Circuit in 1992. He served in this capacity until his election as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama in 2000. For more information, call the WMU College Republicans at (269) 381-4018 or visit the group's Web site at <www.rso.wmich.edu/gop>. Moore's lecture at WMU also is sponsored by the Young America's Foundation. Media contact: Thom Myers, 269 387-8400, thom.myers@wmich.edu WMU News |