Last fall, a nine-member Court of the Judiciary in Alabama removed Roy Moore, the state’s Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, from his position because of his refusal to remove a monument featuring the Ten Commandments from the state courthouse rotunda. It was a divisive issue in Alabama, rousing the ire of religious conservatives concerned that it was another example of secularists pushing religion out of the public square. This election has the potential to be a referendum of sorts on whether Moore still has much support in Alabama.

The answer will come in the fortunes of his friend and colleague, Tom Parker, who is running for Place 1 on the state Supreme Court. Parker was appointed Deputy Administrative Director of Courts by Moore in 2001, and was removed from his position with the state government when Moore was removed. The “Meet Tom Parker” section on his website makes his extensive association with Christian causes clear:

…[H]e was a partner in Parker & Kotouc, P.C., the Montgomery law firm that handled the Mobile School Prayer Case (Wallace v. Jaffree) and the Humanism Textbook Case (Smith v. Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County). Tom Parker was known for his defense of churches, ministries, Christian schools, and homeschooling…

Tom was founding Executive Director of the Alabama Family Alliance and, later, the founding Executive Director for the Alabama Family Advocates, which are state organizations associated with Dr. James Dobson and Focus on the Family. He lobbied for the family and Christian values in the Alabama Legislature.

Parker’s opponent is Democrat Robert Smith, who has garnered quite a few editorial endorsements from newspapers around the state. Here’s what The Birmingham News - which also endorsed Bush for President - had to say about the race:

Democrat Robert H. Smith is far and away the best choice. The Mobile lawyer is widely respected and has broad experience that will serve the citizens of Alabama well on the Supreme Court.

He has represented some of the most vulnerable Alabamians - children, like his own daughter, who have disabilities and special needs - as well as powerful business interests. Smith promises to treat everyone equally under the law, and he will come to the court having no other agenda.

The same can’t be said for his Republican opponent, who is running on his connections to former Chief Justice Roy Moore and who represents the same kind of ideology and disrespect for the law as Moore. Moreover, he took big donations from plaintiff trial lawyers during the Republican primary, and he has embarrassed his own party with his unabashed association with organizations identified as hate groups.

Smith is a much better choice, and we strongly recommend him for the state’s highest court.

Both men have long legal careers under their belts, so it’s not so much a question of which is more qualified. It’s really an ideological difference, and tomorrow we’ll see what the citizens of Alabama think.