Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is continuing to refuse to remove the Ten Commandments monument he set up in front of the Alabama state judicial building. What strikes me as particularly hard to believe, however, is the alleged cost of his refusal.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson of Montgomery, who ruled the monument violates the constitution's ban on government promotion of religion, had said fines of about $5,000 a day would have been imposed against the state if the monument were not removed.According to the State of Alabama State Government Finances website, the state's total general fund revenue for FY 2001-2002 was only $1,189,000,000. There's no way they spent $125 million on this lawsuit over the past 4 years.Moore pledged to ask the Supreme Court to overrule Thompson and said the promised fines would add to the approximate $125 million the state has already spent defending the monument's place. The state is spending $25,000 a day of taxpayers' money on the case, Moore said.
I emailed the link to Eugene, and he thinks the amount is pretty unrealistic as well. And he links back to me -- thanks! The Volokh Conspiracy was my blogging inspiration.
Update:
Eugene and his readers have proven that the FoxNews story is incorrect, and he cites this episode as an example of how good blogs are at fact-checking.
Update 2:
For my thoughts on more recent developments, see Christians Waste Time, Goodwill, and Neglect True Mission.