MONTGOMERY, AL (February 18, 2016)—Barbour County Tea Party president, Dr. Terry Batton, filed complaints Thursday against the justices of the Alabama Supreme Court on behalf of six Alabama conservative groups in light of the Court’s over seven month silence on a pending case.

“Failure of the Alabama Supreme Court to rule expeditiously in API – despite their own request for briefs, an Emergency Petition, and a Petition for Declaratory Order in a critical time of legal conflict, suggests nothing less than a dereliction of duty to constituents and other elected officials who are looking to the Court for direction. Canon 3 (Canons of Judicial Ethics) was no doubt established to prevent this this kind of extended silence and the negative effect such silence has had in the State of Alabama,” the complaints read.

The Alabama Supreme Court has a case before them asking them to consider how Obergefell v. Hodges (the SCOTUS marriage opinion) should affect Alabama. “The case is not only about the preservation of God’s institutions: marriage and family”, Dr. Terry Batton said, “it is about the future of our country, the rule of law, and the preservation of our Constitution and separation of powers. We always expect the justices of the Alabama Supreme Court to rule expeditiously in any case but especially one of such great importance. Instead, they have been sitting on the case for almost eight months leaving probate judges, legislators, and concerned citizens in a quandary.”

Danny B. Joyner, President of Alabama Patriots noted that, “we find ourselves in times of unimaginable attacks on the Judeo-Christian foundation of our Republic. Never have our families and our faith been attacked so vehemently by so many evil and immoral forces. One day everyone will stand before GOD and be judged whether they stood and glorified HIM or chose to remain mute and by so doing deny HIM. It is time to decide whether to be on The LORD’S side or not. ‘For a man to know to doeth good and do it not to him, it is a sin.’ Marriage is one man and one woman standing before The LORD bound in Holy Matrimony as one flesh.”

Conservative Christians of Alabama spokesperson, Daniel Bearden said that it is the duty of the Alabama Supreme Court to “interpose for the people of Alabama against the tyrannical opinion in Obergefell that purported to remove the gender requirement from marriage in Alabama.”

“Our justices should do their duty in this case,” a spokesperson for the Common Sense Campaign said. “They owe it to the people of Alabama who elected them and who await their decision.”

Dr. Terry Batton said he hopes the complaints will be “a firm reminder to our justices that Alabama citizens are watching and expect an expeditious and bold decision in the API case.”

The complaints were filed to the Judicial Inquiry Commission of Alabama on behalf of Barbour County Tea Party, Alabama Patriots, Rainy Day Patriots, Conservative Christians of Alabama, Common Sense Campaign, Christian Development and Renewal Ministries, Rev. Allen Forte, Jr. (True Love Baptist Church, title and affiliation for identification purposes only), and Dr. Ken Jackson (Christian Life Church, title and affiliation for identification purposes only).