Alabama Guv Interviews Roy Moore As Potential Replacement For Sen. Sessions

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore speaks to the congregation of Kimberly Church of God, Sunday, June 28, 2015, in Kimberley, Ala. Moore lashed out at the U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized same-s... Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore speaks to the congregation of Kimberly Church of God, Sunday, June 28, 2015, in Kimberley, Ala. Moore lashed out at the U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, saying said the decision was against the laws of nature. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) MORE LESS
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The Alabama governor’s office confirmed Wednesday that he had interviewed suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore to potentially replace Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL).

Sessions, Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney general, would leave an vacancy in the U.S. Senate if he is confirmed next year. Local news station WVTM confirmed with the Gov. Robert Bentley’s (R) office that Moore was under consideration to fill Session’s seat.

Moore was formally suspended for the remainder of his term as chief justice in September, on the grounds that he ordered lower court justices not to give same-sex couples marriage licenses. The U.S. Supreme Court decided in June of 2015 that same-sex couples have marriage rights in all 50 states.

In December, Moore’s attorneys appealed that suspension, arguing that it amounted to a “de facto removal” from the bench, which requires a unanimous vote from the Alabama Court of the Judiciary, and that Moore had not actually ordered lower court judges to defy federal orders.

Local news station WSFA has reported that there are other candidates under consideration to replace Sessions, including Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL); State Sens. Del Marsh, Arthur Orr, and Cam Ward; State Rep. Connie Rowe; former State Rep. Perry Hooper Jr.; and state Supreme Court Justice Glen Murdock.

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