(CNN) The time has come for the Alabama Legislature to decide if it wants Gov. Robert Bentley speaks during a news conference on Friday, April 7, 2017, outside the Alabama Capitol building in Montgomery, Ala. Bentley vowed again he won't resign even as his political troubles mounted an...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (all times local):

Alabama lawmakers are filing an emergency appeal to the state Supreme Court in an effort to move forward with impeachment hearings against Gov. Robert Bentley to remain at the state's helm. Bentley directed law enforcement to advance his personal interests and, in a process characterized by increasing obsession and paranoia, subjected career law enforcement officers to tasks intended to protect his reputation," the report said. On Friday, April 7, Alabama's House Judiciary Committee will receive a report from its special counsel, Jack Sharman, outlining Bentley's alleged impeachment investigation. House Judiciary Committee special counsel Jack Sharman wrote that Bentley's relationship with Rebekah Caldwell Mason was well-known within his inner circle. "Governor Bentley's loyalty shifted from the State of Alabama to himself," Sharman wrote in an executive summary. The committee is seeking to overturn a judge's order that halted impeachment hearings that has been set to begin Monday. But he maintained he did nothing illegal and had no intentions of resigning. Shortly before the lawyers argued, Bentley defiantly stood on the steps of the state Capitol and refused growing calls from fellow Republicans that he step down. The Republican leader of the Alabama Senate has also urged Bentley to resign, saying he is not being an effective leader for the state. Bentley, 74, has been engulfed in scandal since recordings surfaced in 2016 of him making suggestive remarks to a female aide before he and his wife of 50 years got divorced. Earlier this week the Alabama Ethics Commission found probable cause that Bentley should face criminal ethics and campaign finance charges, and handed the case to the Montgomery County District Attorney for possible prosecution. Robert Bentley won a court fight Friday to halt his looming impeachment hearings, but couldn't prevent the release of an investigative report that describes his paranoia and obsession over trying to keep his romance with a staffer from becoming public. The report, along with impeachment hearings slated to begin Monday, are aimed at resolving the two-term governor's yearlong saga, which began with allegations of a sex scandal involving his former adviser, Rebekah Mason. In the lawsuit, Bentley calls the impeachment process "fundamentally unfair" and asks a court to block the release of the report by the Judiciary Committee's special counsel. Following its meeting, the Ethics Commission announced that a yearlong investigation -- involving 45 witnesses and 33,000 documents -- indicated there was probable cause to believe Bentley violated the Alabama Ethics Act and Fair Campaign Practices Act. The mild-mannered dermatologist and former Baptist deacon has acknowledged making personal mistakes but maintained he did nothing illegal or to merit his removal from office. Associated Press writer Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama, contributed to this report.
The governor of the State of Alabama, Robert Bentley, wins a court victory halting impeachment proceedings that were set to begin Monday to determine whether he should remain in office after it was discovered that he had a romantic relationship with a staffer.