Ousted chief justice speaks to GOP

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republican lawmakers got a lesson about God in government Tuesday from ousted Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who gained national attention for erecting a Ten Commandments monument in the courthouse rotunda.

Moore has been speaking to various religious and conservative groups since being ousted from office in November 2003 by a judicial ethics panel for refusing to follow a federal judge's order to remove a Ten Commandments monument.

His appearance before Republican House and Senate members was facilitated by Ron Calzone, director of the state rights group Missouri First.

After speaking to lawmakers in a meeting room, Moore summarized his message.

"The First Amendment historically, legally and logically does not prohibit the acknowledgment of God," he said. And the public display of the Ten Commandments "is simply a recognition of a sovereign God," not an unconstitutional government establishment of religion.

Moore did not charge lawmakers a speaking fee or expenses, because he already was in St. Louis to speak to another group.