Roy Moore asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to block a U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruling from taking effect while he appeals an $8.2 million jury award. He said the money may be lost “as a practical matter” if the appellate court’s decision goes into effect first.
The filing puts Justice Clarence Thomas in the first position to handle the emergency request from the 11th Circuit. Moore said the mandate is due on or about June 15, a deadline that could let the appellate ruling take effect before the Supreme Court decides whether to intervene.
Roy Moore and Senate Majority PAC
The dispute comes from Moore’s 2017 Senate campaign, a special election created by Jeff Sessions’ resignation to serve as attorney general during the first Trump administration. Moore lost that race to Doug Jones after suing Senate Majority PAC in federal court over a campaign advertisement he said falsely portrayed him as a man who solicited sex from a fourteen-year-old girl.
Moore’s filing quoted the ad as a “campaign advertisement that falsely portrayed Roy S. Moore as a man who solicited sex from a fourteen-year-old girl.” He also described the allegation as “was not true” and said the PAC published “that falsehood with actual malice.”
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
A jury agreed with Moore and found that Senate Majority PAC defamed him, awarding him $8.2 million. The jury also found actual malice, the standard Moore cited to support the verdict. The 11th Circuit later threw out that verdict, leaving Moore to ask the Supreme Court to keep the judgment on hold while review is considered.
Moore’s request focuses on timing. If the mandate issues on or about June 15, the appellate ruling can take effect unless the Supreme Court steps in first. That is why Moore said “the judgment he obtained after trial will be lost as a practical matter before this Court can determine whether review is warranted.”
Justice Clarence Thomas
Justice Clarence Thomas initially handles emergency appeals from the 11th Circuit. Moore’s filing now sits before him, and Thomas has not yet instructed Senate Majority PAC to respond. If he does require a response, that would be the next procedural step before any larger Supreme Court action.
For Moore, the immediate issue is not the broader fight over the campaign ad. It is whether the $8.2 million award survives long enough for the Supreme Court to decide whether the 11th Circuit was right to erase it.
