Roy Moore Wants to Impeach Judge Who Blocked Trump's Trans Military Ban
One of the nation's most devoted anti-LGBTQ foes blasted a federal court ruling blocking Donald Trump's ban on trans military service.
Roy Moore, who was dismissed from his seat on the Alabama Supreme Court in 2015 after attempting to halt same-sex marriages in his state, claimed that the ruling was a "clear example of judicial activism."
Moore released a statement Monday night arguing that Judge Kollar-Kotelly, the Washington D.C. justice behind the decision, should be impeached.
"The decision of a federal judge in the District of Columbia enjoining President Trump's executive order on transgenderism in the military is absolutely ridiculous," Moore wrote in a press release, "and is a perfect example of the outlandish doctrine of judicial supremacy whereby judges exalt themselves over the Constitution they are sworn to uphold."
"Congress should not turn a deaf ear to this flagrant usurpation of executive authority," Moore continued.
He further added that Kollar-Kotelly "placed herself above the Constitution in finding such a nonexistent right" and "interfered with the powers of the President as Commander in Chief of the armed forces."
Moore, who believes that homosexuality should be illegal, also suggested that transgender people are mentally ill.
"As recently as 2013, the American Psychiatric Association considered transgenderism to be a mental disorder," said the 70-year-old. "And only in 2016 did the Obama administration attempt to impose that delusion upon our fighting forces."
The Monday ruling paved the way for transgender people to serve openly after Trump reversed an Obama-era policy allowing them to enlist. In a series of July tweets, the president claimed that trans inclusion in the armed forces would entail "tremendous medical costs and disruption."
In her ruling, Kollar-Kotelly claimed there's no evidence to back up those allegations.
"On the record before the court, there is absolutely no support for the claim that the ongoing service of transgender people would have any negative effects on the military at all," she stated in a written opinion. "In fact, there is considerable evidence that it is the discharge and banning of such individuals that would have such effects."
A 2016 report commissioned by the Pentagon backs up the judge's ruling. The RAND study showed that allowing trans troops to enlist openly would "add between $2.4 million and $8.4 million to [the] annual military health care budget," which is over $6 billion.
The study also found that trans military service would have no impact on unit cohesion.
This is far from the first time that Moore has come out against equality for queer and transgender people. The disgraced justice, who was removed from the bench following multiple ethics violations, has called homosexuality "abominable, detestable, and unmentionable." He has compared same-sex marriage to slavery and claimed LGBTQ people were responsible for the September 11 attacks.
In September, Moore won the GOP nomination to run for Attorney General Jeff Sessions' vacated seat in the Senate. Polls show that the Alabama hopeful is leading his Democratic challenger, Doug Jones, by 17 points.