What is Alabama's Roy Moore Really After? Could it Be the Governor's Mansion?

"Roy Moore is honoring an old American tradition," writes The New Civil Rights Movement's David Badash: "demogoguing gays to further his career."

In a report published today looking back on the antigay judge's busy week, in which he ordered all of Alabama's probate judges to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Despite his illegal and unconstitutional order, marriage licenses were again made available to all on Friday. Moore's order provided sufficient evidence of an antigay agenda to trigger a call by the Southern Poverty Law Center to call for Moore's removal from the bench.

That could prove impossible, as Badash outlined to readers the facts of Moore's political life:

As State Supreme Court Chief Justice, he is unimpeachable. And because he is 68 (his birthday is next month in the event you want to send him a card), Moore cannot run for re-election because the legal age limit is 70. And unless the legislature passes a proposed change in the law to raise the maximum age to 75, the judge will have to retire.

But that's not what Michele Gerlach, the publisher of a local Alabama newspaper, The Andalusia Star-News, believes.

"Roy Moore is running for governor," she wrote today, in a post titled "Calling a spade a spade."

"Roy Moore wasn't really hoping to change the practices of Alabama probate judges who are issuing same-sex licenses when he raised the topic again this week."

Gerlach notes there is no age limit to serve as governor of Alabama. And the incumbent, Gov. Robert Bentley, cannot run again when his second term ends after the November 2018 elections, because of term limits.

Calling the tactic, if true, "an old and familiar one," Gerlach writes that the "more folks on the left decry his order, issued this week, the more folks on the right will vow to support him in the future. And that's the support he needs to run for governor."

By press time, Moore did not respond to an email from The Advocate requesting comment, sent to his nonprofit organization, the Foundation for Moral Law.