Well
Harry Lyon is no more and it’s seem that he don’t like it.
The
Alabama Democratic Party disqualified Harry Lyon as its nominee for chief
justice after a hearing Friday over online comments the Pelham lawyer made that
party officials deemed improper for a judicial candidate.
Lyon
said afterward he would file a lawsuit and seek criminal charges against the
party chairman, Mark Kennedy, alleging that Lyon fraudulently was deprived of
his $3,000 filing fee.
"The
Alabama Democratic Party committed suicide today," Lyon said. "The
party now officially is in the grave."
Four
members of the State Democratic Executive Committee unanimously agreed to
remove Lyon for comments critical of Republican justices, homosexuals and
supporters of gay marriage, ruling he violated canons of ethics for judges and
judicial candidates.
In
a statement, the party also said Lyon's "increasingly erratic" and
"disturbing behavior" have "undermined his ability to stand as a
candidate for the Democratic Party."
The
party will take nominations for a replacement candidate from Monday morning
through noon Wednesday. If no one is nominated, the party will not field a
candidate.
If
more than one person is nominated, the State Democratic Executive Committee
will vote on the nominee between Aug. 22 and Aug. 27.
"It
is disappointing that this close to the election process we find ourselves
without a candidate for chief justice but are hopeful that we will soon have a
truly qualified candidate and future chief justice," Kennedy said in a
statement.
