Roy Moore’s Supreme Court petition rejected as justices start new term

The U. S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a petition from Roy Moore, the former Alabama chief justice, who had hoped to rescue an $8. 2 million jury award in a defamation case. The order came as the justices opened their new term, and it ends his bid at the nation's highest court. No explanation was given, which is the court's usual practice, and none of the justices indicated interest in taking the case. Four votes are needed to grant review, according to MS NOW.

The dispute grew out of a 2017 advertisement run during Moore's unsuccessful Republican campaign for the Senate. Moore contended the ad wrongly suggested he had sought sex from a 14-year-old. The 11th Circuit sided with the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC, finding Moore had not shown by clear and convincing evidence that the group acted with actual malice, a standard requiring knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth. Moore had earlier lost an emergency request to block that ruling, which Justice Clarence Thomas denied in late June.

The outcome was widely foreseeable, since Senate Majority PAC waived its right to respond and the justices did not ask for a reply.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →