Roy Moore Bio
Roy Stewart Moore (born February 11, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist who has been a leading figure in the Christian conservative movement. He served twice as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, first from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2016, with each tenure ending in removal or suspension for judicial misconduct. Moore is also widely known as the Republican nominee in the 2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, a campaign defined by high-profile allegations of sexual misconduct and his subsequent loss to Democrat Doug Jones.
A former West Point graduate and Army captain, Moore later earned a law degree from the University of Alabama and built a career in Alabama’s legal system before founding the Foundation for Moral Law in 2002. His political views have frequently been described as far-right and Christian nationalist, drawing sustained national attention and controversy throughout his public life.
Early Life and Background
Roy Stewart Moore was born on February 11, 1947, in Gadsden, Alabama, to Roy Baxter Moore and Evelyn Stewart. He grew up in Etowah County and attended Etowah County High School before going on to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. After his graduation from West Point, Moore served as a company commander in the Military Police Corps during the Vietnam War, rising to the rank of captain.
Following his military service, Moore returned to Alabama and pursued legal studies at the University of Alabama School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor. He joined the Etowah County district attorney’s office, where he served as an assistant district attorney from 1977 to 1982. During this formative period, Moore was investigated by the state bar for conduct related to a grand jury he convened, though the investigation was ultimately dismissed as unfounded.
Outside of his professional pursuits, Moore has described his religious faith as a defining element of his life. He is a Baptist Christian and a member of the Gallant First Baptist Church in Alabama. His early exposure to conservative Christian teaching and his West Point training shaped his later belief that moral and religious principles should play a central role in public life.
Path to US Politics
Moore’s path into Alabama’s legal and political circles began when he left the district attorney’s office to run as a Democrat for the Etowah County circuit-court judge seat in 1982. He lost the runoff primary to fellow attorney Donald Stewart but continued to engage with local legal and political matters. In 1984, Moore met Kayla Kisor, and the couple married in December 1985.
In 1992, after Governor H. Guy Hunt appointed him to fill a vacancy on the Etowah County circuit court, Moore switched his political affiliation to the Republican Party. He was elected to the circuit judge seat in 1994 with 62 percent of the vote, becoming the first county-wide Republican to win in Etowah County since Reconstruction. During this period, he hung a wooden Ten Commandments plaque in his courtroom and opened proceedings with prayer, actions that drew early attention from the American Civil Liberties Union.
Moore’s national profile rose sharply in 2001 when he was elected chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama. His installation of a large Ten Commandments monument in the Alabama Judicial Building set the stage for a series of confrontations with federal courts. Although he was removed from office in 2003, Moore’s battles over religious symbolism in public buildings became a rallying point for Christian conservatives nationwide and laid the foundation for his later runs for higher office.
Roy Moore Career
Early Career (1977–2000)
Moore began his legal career in 1977 as an assistant district attorney in Etowah County, serving in that role for five years. After losing a 1982 bid for circuit judge, he ran unsuccessfully for Etowah County district attorney in 1986. During this period, he also spent a year in Australia, where he worked on a cattle ranch in Queensland and experienced life in the country’s Outback.
In 1992, Moore was appointed to the Etowah County circuit court by Governor H. Guy Hunt, and he won election to the seat in 1994. As a circuit judge, Moore drew attention for placing a homemade Ten Commandments plaque on his courtroom wall and for opening proceedings with prayer, practices that brought early legal challenges from civil liberties groups.
Breakthrough (2001–2003)
Moore’s breakthrough came in 2001 when he was elected chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama. In that role, he installed a 2.6-ton granite monument of the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building, a move that quickly drew lawsuits from the American Civil Liberties Union.
When a federal court ordered the monument removed, Moore refused to comply, citing his religious convictions. In November 2003, the Alabama Court of the Judiciary removed him from office for defying the federal court order, ending his first tenure as chief justice but elevating him to national prominence as a defender of religious expression in government.
Republican Era (2003–Present)
After his removal from the chief justice post, Moore mounted several unsuccessful runs for statewide office as a Republican. He lost the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary to Governor Bob Riley by a wide margin and finished fourth in the 2010 Republican primary for governor. He briefly explored a 2012 presidential bid before returning to his former position.
In 2012, Moore won election as chief justice for a second time. He was suspended in 2016 for instructing state probate judges to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision. He resigned in April 2017 to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions. Moore won the Republican primary runoff against Luther Strange in September 2017 but lost the December 2017 special election to Democrat Doug Jones amid publicized allegations of sexual misconduct. In 2020, Moore again sought the same Senate seat but received only 7.2 percent of the vote in the Republican primary.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the defining moments of Moore’s career were his two removals as Alabama’s chief justice, his installation of the Ten Commandments monument, and his 2017 Senate campaign, which became one of the most closely watched and controversial races in modern American politics. His refusal to concede the 2017 Senate election and subsequent lawsuit alleging voter fraud further extended the national spotlight on his career.
Roy Moore Career Wins
Throughout his legal and political career, Roy Moore has compiled a record of election victories in Alabama’s state-level contests, along with several notable legal accomplishments. His wins include races for circuit judge, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, and the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.
Alabama Chief Justice Highlights
Moore was first elected chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama in 2000, taking office in 2001. His second victory came in the 2012 general election, when he defeated Democratic nominee Bob Vance, receiving 913,021 votes to Vance’s 850,816 votes.
Moore’s most recent statewide win came in the September 26, 2017, Republican primary runoff, when he defeated incumbent Luther Strange with 54.6 percent of the vote to become the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. That runoff marked the first time since 2010 that an insurgent defeated an incumbent U.S. Senator with active White House support.
Other Wins and Achievements
In addition to his chief justice victories, Moore won election as Etowah County circuit judge in 1994 with 62 percent of the vote, becoming the first county-wide Republican to win in the county since Reconstruction. He also founded the Foundation for Moral Law in 2002, an organization that has shaped his influence within the Christian conservative movement.
Roy Moore Family
Family Background and Personal Lineage
Roy Moore was born to Roy Baxter Moore and Evelyn Stewart. He grew up in Gadsden, Alabama, in a household that would later shape his strong religious convictions and conservative worldview. His upbringing in Etowah County and his education at the United States Military Academy at West Point were foundational experiences that informed his later public career.
Personal Life
Moore married Kayla Kisor on December 14, 1985. He was 38 years old at the time, and she was 24. The couple has four adult children. Kayla Moore serves as president of the Foundation for Moral Law, the nonprofit Christian legal organization her husband founded in 2002. Moore and his family reside in Gadsden, Alabama.