by TChris

It's tough to run for judge in Alabama, where former Chief Justice Roy Moore lost his job on the state's highest court after defying a federal court order to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from the courthouse rotunda. Christian conservatives have made him a folk hero, and other judges have to contend with his popularity among voters who believe it's evil to respect the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

Justice Jean Brown (described by her campaign manager as a "conservative Baptist Sunday school teacher"), facing reelection, is defending her vote to remove the monument by touting its replacement: a courthouse exhibit that displays the Ten Commandments with other documents, including the Magna Carta. Her TV ads say she's "proud" that the Ten Commandments are back in the courthouse. But that doesn't satisfy her opponent, Tom Parker (Moore's "former legal adviser"):

"Who can Alabama conservatives trust?" one of his commercials asks, showing a picture of Justice Brown. "She removed the Ten Commandments, and insulted us with her politically correct, A.C.L.U.-approved display."

It would be more honest to say: "Vote for me and I promise to defy the law just like Ray Moore." Just as it would be more honest for Justice Brown to stop hiding behind the Ten Commandments and explain that a state has no business endorsing a religion, even if it's the religion preferred by voters.