The former Chief Justice of the Alabama State Supreme Court, Roy Moore, is accused of sexual and romantic involvement with underaged females when he was the former assistant district attorney of Etowah County, Alabama.

Moore’s senatorial campaign for the congressional seat which was left vacant after former Republican United States Senator from Alabama, Jefferson Sessions, was appointed to the position of Attorney General of the United States by the Trump Administration, had prompted an investigation by the reporters from the Washington Post into Moore’s past.

While reporting about supporters of Moore’s campaign in Alabama, reporters from the Post had encountered rumors about Moore’s involvement with the girls. After multiple interviews with the four women in question, the Post determined each of the stories as credible. Reportedly, Moore’s partners ranged from fourteen to eighteen years old, currently or recently enrolled in high-school.

Leigh Corfman, the youngest of Moore’s partners, was approached by Moore outside a courtroom in Etowah County, while alongside her mother with whom she accompanied for a child custody hearing. While Nancy Wells, Corfman’s mother, entered the courtroom, Corfman conversed with Moore who had offered to watch her in her mother’s absence.

Corfman and Moore’s conversation would lead to two romantic encounters, in the second of which Moore initiated sexual contact which Corfman refused. Moore took her home upon her request.

Corfman’s account was covered frequently in the media and was regarded as the most disturbing example of Moore’s behavior. It was the most widely discussed of his relationships with underage females.  

Moore’s sexual misconduct, which involves sexual predatory behavior, was only one disturbing aspect of his candidacy. Moore’s apparent dislike for people of color and minority-faith constitutes another troubling aspect of his presence in American politics.

It is one which closely mirrors the racist-nationalist ideas and sentiments that have been expressed by our president and other politicians, most of whom identity as Republican or conservative. Moore was reportedly stated to have claimed our nation was morally strongest when families were closely bonded, regardless of race, in spite of in times when legal enslavement existed still.

Moore’s statement was a clear disregard of the historical suffering and trauma which black Americans have experienced for centuries, and whose effects continue to manifest themselves in our nation’s social and political dialogue, our demographic makeup, and our institutions.

Narrowly, Moore lost the election for the Alabama Senate seat by nearly two percent of the vote.

Interestingly, the African-American vote, particularly that of black women, significantly contributed to victory of Moore’s opponent, Doug Jones. Exiting polling shows that nearly 98% voted for Jones, while just over sixty percent of white women voted for Moore.

In another poorly-reasoned claim, Moore insisted congresspeople of Muslim-faith could not be ethically sweared into office, ignorantly believing that the Christian bible was the only possible option for the ceremonial induction after which an elected official is sworn into public office.

Moore is clearly an ideological conservative. This is a fact evidenced by what appears to be his consensus with the Republican party’s position on the majority of political issues. What differentiates Moore is the fundamentalist aspect of faith-based views, of which manifests in his judicial and political approach.

Moore is rumored to have openly displayed a statue of the Ten Commandments in his office and his courtroom during his judicial career. Moore was appointed to the Alabama State Supreme Court, removed twice from the position, supposedly for his own political and religious conviction which led him to disagree with federal laws regarding religious freedom and marriage equality.

Congressional Republicans were reluctant to denounce Moore’s alleged past behavior. It was stated that if these allegations were true, then Moore should withdraw his candidacy.

However, Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, stated that he believed the women who accused Moore and suggested that Moore should step aside.

Clearly and objectively, these incidents are not limited to the American political right. Recently, Democratic Senator Al Franken of Minnesota resigned due to sexual harassment allegations from women who worked for him. Franken, although formerly popular as a unmistakably liberal political and comedic figure, was called upon to resign by many of his female Democratic colleagues in the Senate.

Previously thought as relatively exclusive to the entertainment industry, a reference to accusations of nearly eighty or so women against film producer, Harvey Weinstein, and of accusations against directors, actors, journalists, and personalities, the trend which we see of mens’ and womens’ personal confessions and activism regarding sexual abuse is far more widespread, and the implications are troublesome.