Foundation for Moral Law

Last updated
Foundation for Moral Law
FormationJanuary 29, 2003;21 years ago (2003-01-29) [1]
Founder Roy Moore
Type Nonprofit organization
03-0502850 [2]
Legal status 501(c)(3) [2]
Headquarters Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Coordinates 32°22′39″N86°18′32″W / 32.377606°N 86.308826°W / 32.377606; -86.308826
Kayla Moore
Roy Moore
Revenue (2023)
$790,665 [2]
Expenses (2023)$672,719 [2]
Employees (2023)
6 [2]
Website www.morallaw.org

The Foundation for Moral Law is a socially conservative, Christian right legal advocacy group [3] [4] based in Montgomery, Alabama. [5]

Contents

The Foundation was established in 2003 [1] by Republican politician Roy Moore, who was ousted as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama in 2003 for refusing to comply with a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the grounds of the Alabama Judicial Building. In 2013, Moore was again elected to the Alabama Supreme Court, but was suspended from the Court in 2016, and resigned in 2017, after ordering Alabama probate judges to ignore federal court decisions on same-sex marriage. [6]

History and finances

The Foundation for Moral Law was established in 2003 [1] [7] by Republican politician Roy Moore. Pastor Phillip Ellen became the first president of the Foundation for Moral Law in December 2002. [8] Randy Stafford acted as vice president at that time, and Mel C. Glenn Sr. was executive director. [8]

In November 2003, the board chose Rich Hobson as president of the Foundation for Moral Law, and Ellen became its vice president. Moore served as the president of the Foundation for Moral Law, and Hobson served as executive director. [8] In 2013, Moore's wife, Kayla Moore, became president of the Foundation for Moral Law. [6] [9] [10]

In 2005, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) determined that the Foundation for Moral Law is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. [6]

Also in 2005, fhe Foundation accepted a $1,000 contribution from a neo-Nazi organization founded by Willis Carto, a prominent Holocaust denier. The donation attracted attention during Moore's 2017 campaign for a Senate seat. [11] [12] [13]

Moore said that he did not draw a "regular salary" from the organization. In October 2017, however, The Washington Post reported that Moore had arranged an annual salary of $180,000 for himself from the foundation. From 2007 to 2012, he collected more than $1 million, an amount that far surpasses what the organization declared in its public tax filings. Furthermore, The Washington Post reported that Moore arranged the salary and that, in 2012 when the charity could not pay his full salary, Moore received a note promising that he would get the salary in back pay or a stake in the assets of the foundation. The foundation also paid for Moore's health-care benefits, travel expenses, and bodyguard, and the foundation's website has regularly promoted Moore's speaking arrangements and book. Furthermore, the foundation employed Moore's wife and at least two of Moore's children. The Washington Post also reported that there was considerable overlap between the charity and Moore's political activities, with previous top officials of the charity leading Moore's 2017 Senate campaign and with the charity using the same fundraising firm as Moore's campaigns. [14]

The IRS warned the foundation about discrepancies in its tax filings in 2013, saying that the issues "could jeopardize your exempt status". A number of charity and tax law experts have said that the foundation's activities "raised questions about compliance with IRS rules, including prohibitions on the use of a charity for the private benefit or enrichment of an individual". [14] Additional reporting by The Washington Post that October found that the $498,000 that Moore was guaranteed in back pay was not declared to the IRS; tax experts say that it should have been and that Moore would have had to pay more than $100,000 in federal tax. [15]

As of August 2017, the Foundation for Moral Law had not filed a Form 990 for 2015 or 2016, as required by law. [16]

Positions and activities

The Foundation for Moral Law advocates Moore's Christian right and socially conservative views through the filing of amicus briefs in courts. The group is anti-abortion, opposed to same-sex marriage, and supportive of public prayer. [6] In 2010, the Foundation for Moral Law allowed its offices to be used to host an "Alabama Secession Day Commemoration" event, celebrating Alabama's secession from the Union in 1861. The event featured a speaker from the League of the South, a group that supports secession of the South from United States and is classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. [17]

In 2017, the Foundation for Moral Law publicly opposed the U.S. Air Force's nomination of then-Colonel Kristin Goodwin as commandant of cadets of the U.S. Air Force Academy because Goodwin is a married lesbian; in a letter, the Foundation's president, Kayla Moore, accused the United States Department of Defense of having a "disregard for the fundamental moral order established by God." [18]

In the case Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. , the group filed an amicus brief in opposition to transgender rights. [19]

In 2017, the Foundation for Moral Law came out in support of Executive Order 13780, a travel ban issued by President Donald Trump. The group said that it would back the executive order in the U.S. Supreme Court against constitutional challenges. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom From Religion Foundation</span> American nonprofit organization

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for atheists, agnostics, and nontheists. Formed in 1976, FFRF promotes the separation of church and state, and challenges the legitimacy of many federal and state programs that are faith-based. It supports groups such as nonreligious students and clergy who want to leave their faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family Research Council</span> American evangelical activist group

The Family Research Council (FRC) is an American evangelical 501(c)(3) non-profit activist group and think-tank with an affiliated lobbying organization. FRC promotes what it considers to be family values. It opposes and lobbies against access to pornography, embryonic stem-cell research, abortion, divorce, and LGBT rights—such as anti-discrimination laws, same-sex marriage, same-sex civil unions, and LGBT adoption. The FRC has been criticized by media sources and professional organizations such as the American Sociological Association for using "anti-gay pseudoscience" to falsely conflate homosexuality and pedophilia, and to falsely claim that the children of same-sex parents suffer from more mental health problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute for Justice</span> American non-profit public interest law firm

The Institute for Justice (IJ) is a non-profit public interest law firm in the United States. It has litigated twelve cases before the United States Supreme Court dealing with eminent domain, interstate commerce, public financing for elections, school vouchers, tax credits for private school tuition, civil asset forfeiture, and residency requirements for liquor license. The organization was founded on September 3, 1991. As of 2023, it employed a staff of 157 full-time staff members in Arlington, Virginia and seven offices across the United States.

The Staten Island Advance is a daily newspaper published in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City. It is the only daily newspaper published in Staten Island and the only major daily newspaper focused on covering it exclusively. Staten Island Advance covers news of local and community interest, including Staten Island politics. Staten Island Advance is the namesake and nominal flagship publication of Advance Publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Center for Law & Justice</span> Far-right organization based in the United States

The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) is a politically conservative, Christian-based legal organization in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and associated with Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Sekulow</span> American attorney (born 1956)

Jay Alan Sekulow is an American lawyer, radio, television talk show host and politically conservative media personality. He has been chief counsel of the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) since 1991. As a member of President Donald Trump's legal team, he served as lead outside counsel for Trump's first impeachment trial in the United States Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Leo</span> American lawyer (born 1965)

Leonard Anthony Leo is an American lawyer and conservative legal activist. He was the longtime vice president of the Federalist Society and is currently, along with Steven Calabresi, the co-chairman of the organization's board of directors.

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation, operating as the Freedom Foundation, is a free market conservative think tank founded in the state of Washington. Freedom Foundation has offices in Washington, Oregon, California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. In 2021, they announced their national expansion into all 50 states. The organization is registered with the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

The National Policy Institute (NPI) was a white supremacist think tank and lobbying group based in Alexandria, Virginia. It lobbied for white supremacists and the alt-right. Its president was Richard B. Spencer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Moore (writer)</span> American writer and economic commentator

Stephen Moore is an American conservative writer and television commentator on economic issues. He co-founded and served as president of the Club for Growth from 1999 to 2004. Moore is a former member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board. He worked at The Heritage Foundation from 1983 to 1987 and again since 2014. Moore advised Herman Cain's 2012 presidential campaign and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 501(c) nonprofit organizations in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Moore</span> American jurist and politician (born 1947)

Roy Stewart Moore is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist who served as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2017, each time being removed from office for judicial misconduct by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary. He was the Republican Party nominee in the 2017 U.S. Senate special election in Alabama to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, but was accused by several women of sexually assaulting them while they were underage and lost to Democratic candidate Doug Jones. Moore ran for the same Senate seat again in 2020 and lost the Republican primary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Form 990</span> United States Internal Revenue Service form

Form 990 is a United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) form that provides the public with information about a nonprofit organization. It is also used by government agencies to prevent organizations from abusing their tax-exempt status. Some nonprofits, such as hospitals and other healthcare organizations, have more comprehensive reporting requirements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Ivey</span> Governor of Alabama since 2017

Kay Ellen Ivey is an American politician who is the 54th governor of Alabama, serving since 2017. Originally a conservative Southern Democrat, Ivey became a member of the Republican Party in 2002. She was the 38th Alabama state treasurer from 2003 to 2011 and the 30th lieutenant governor of Alabama from 2011 to 2017.

Candid is an information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. In 2016, its database provided information on 2.5 million organizations. It is the product of the February 2019 merger of GuideStar with Foundation Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Byrne</span> American politician & attorney (born 1955)

Bradley Roberts Byrne is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Alabama's 1st congressional district from 2014 to 2021. Elected as a member of the state Board of Education as a Democrat in 1994, he became a member of the Republican Party in 1997, and served in the Alabama Senate from 2003 to 2007, representing the state's 32nd district.

The Donald J. Trump Foundation was a New York-based tax-exempt private foundation formed in 1988 by Donald Trump and dissolved by court order in 2018 after various legal violations came to light.

Kayla Moore is an American political activist. She is the president of the Foundation for Moral Law, a socially conservative legal advocacy group. She is the wife of Roy Moore and campaigned for him in the 2017 Senate special election in Alabama.

Donald Trump, the President of the United States from January 2017 to January 2021, controversially refused to release his tax returns after being elected president, although he promised to do so during his campaign. In 2021, the Manhattan district attorney (DA) obtained several years of Trump's tax information, and in late 2022, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee obtained and released six years of his returns.

Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, 141 S.Ct. 2373 (2021), is a United States Supreme Court case dealing with the disclosure of donors to non-profit organizations. The case challenged California's requirement that non-profit organizations disclose the identity of their donors to the state's Attorney General as a precondition of soliciting donations in the state. The case was consolidated with Thomas More Law Center v. Bonta. In July 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6–3 decision that California's requirement burdened the donors' First Amendment rights, was not narrowly tailored, and was constitutionally invalid.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Foundation For Moral Law, Inc." Business Entity Records. Alabama Secretary of State. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Foundation For Moral Law Inc". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. December 2023. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  3. ↑ Frederick S. Lane, The Court and the Cross: The Religious Right's Crusade to Reshape the Supreme Court (Beacon Press, 2008), p. 138.
  4. ↑ H. B. Cavalcant, Gloryland: Christian Suburbia, Christian Nation (Greenwood/Prager: 2007), p. 49: Table 3.1: A Sample of Conservative Christian Groups in America.
  5. ↑ Ad attacks Roy Moore's pay from Christian charity, legal organization Archived 2017-09-07 at the Wayback Machine , Associated Press (August 3, 2017).
  6. 1 2 3 4 John Kruzel, Did Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore take $1 million from a charity he ran?, PolitiFact (September 5, 2017).
  7. ↑ "Never mind the sex scandals: Roy Moore is a son of the Confederacy". Salon. 2017-12-12. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  8. 1 2 3 "About". Foundation for Moral Law. Archived from the original on 2016-10-03. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "Kayla Moore". Foundation for Moral Law. Archived from the original on 2016-10-03. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "The Foundation for Moral Law Names Kayla Moore as President and Attorney Joshua Pendergrass as Executive Director". Foundation for Moral Law. Archived from the original on 2016-10-02. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  11. ↑ Jessica Chia (October 19, 2017). "Republican senate candidate Roy Moore accepted donation from Nazi group: report". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  12. ↑ Matthew Rozsa (October 19, 2017). "Roy Moore's foundation accepted $1000 from Nazi group: report". Salon. Archived from the original on 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  13. ↑ Steve Benen (October 19, 2017). "Thursday's Campaign Round-Up, 10.19.17". The Rachel Maddow Show. MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  14. 1 2 Boburg, Shawn; O'Harrow, Robert Jr. (2017-10-11). "Undisclosed deal guaranteed Roy Moore $180,000 a year for part-time work at charity". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  15. ↑ O'Harrow, Robert Jr.; Boburg, Shawn (2017-10-20). "Charity's promised back pay to Roy Moore was not reported to IRS as income". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  16. ↑ Christopher Harress, Missing: 2015-2016 tax returns for Roy Moore's Foundation for Moral Law Archived 2017-09-07 at the Wayback Machine , AL.com (August 4, 2017).
  17. ↑ Secession Day event set for Roy Moore's foundation Archived 2017-09-07 at the Wayback Machine , Associated Press (February 19, 2010).
  18. ↑ Greg Garrison, Roy Moore's wife issues statement opposing lesbian Air Force Academy commandant Archived 2017-09-07 at the Wayback Machine , AL.com (April 3, 2017).
  19. ↑ Brief of the Foundation for Moral Law as Amicus Curiae in Support of Appellee and Affirmance Archived 2017-08-25 at the Wayback Machine , Gloucester County School Board v. G.G., S.Ct. No.15-2056.
  20. ↑ Hartropp, Joseph (27 June 2017). "Christian legal group backs Trump's travel ban: warns of terror threat to America". Christianity Today. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.