4 of 4

One of those judges, John Minor Wisdom, who was on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, I had the privilege to clerk for after law school. He was among some Eisenhower appointees who had that responsibility, and they did that with great courage.

I attribute it to a lot of things, all of those things. But today in Alabama, we have more elected black officials than any other state in the country. And I think that's a sign of our progress in racial relations.

What role do you think a judge's personal religious beliefs should play in his or her decision making?

I think a judge in the American system of government has an obligation to uphold and enforce the law fairly and impartially—period. That's what the role of a judge is.

But, obviously, each person comes to a job with certain core values and beliefs. Do you feel there's an intersection between one's responsibilities and values, or do you keep the two spheres completely separate?

As attorney general, I take an oath and I have sworn to uphold the Constitution and laws of my state and nation. That oath is, of course, informed by my religious faith. I don't view that as a conflict. I think, as a result of my faith, that I take my oath very seriously.

You took a public stand in support of Governor Bob Riley's plan to raise taxes, which voters shot down by a 2-1 margin this month. Why?

I have made it very clear that I support his plan from the perspective of being the chief law enforcement officer of the state. I'm not an expert about all components of this plan. But our state prison system, our crime labs, our department of public safety, and other components of the criminal justice system are underfunded. In fact, they're in a worse state of funding than in any state in the United States. And if we hope to have an effective system of criminal justice or restorative justice, we have to fund this system adequately.

Have you been active in any of the Prison Fellowship programs in the prisons?

I have been extremely active with Prison Fellowship. In fact, I received their Guardian of Religious Freedom award [in 1999]. I've been to the faith-based facility they have in Texas with their officials. I have worked with them on a number of projects.

The task that I've been working on more than perhaps any other in my last few years as attorney general has been to reform our sentencing system, to adopt a system of sentencing that is more consistent with what Prison Fellowship supports, and that is a system of restorative justice.

We created a sentencing commission in Alabama that my office drafted the legislation to create, and we passed some sentencing reform legislation. That has been one of my main reasons for supporting Governor Riley's tax package. If we hope to accomplish meaningful sentencing reform in Alabama, we're not only going to have to change our sentencing policies, we're going to have to fund our sentencing system at a higher level.

Judge Moore, you, and Governor Riley are three very high profile Christians who are taking very public stands on a number of issues based on your Christian beliefs. Why do you think this is happening in one state, in one period of time? Is there something in the water in Alabama that's causing you all to be so outspoken and in the limelight?

Alabama is a conservative state and a state where the people take their religious faith seriously. It is not surprising to me that public officials in Alabama will sometimes communicate with the voters of Alabama in language that is familiar to people of faith. That's an effective way to communicate with the people of this state. It's a language that they understand and appreciate.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Pryor has recently been profiled by World magazine and other publications.

first page |  4 of 4

share this page

September (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47