U. S.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas denied an emergency petition from former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore on Monday, June 29, 2026.
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Moore sought to pause a federal appeals court decision that overturned his $8.2 million defamation award.
The emergency application targeted an April ruling by the U. S.
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
That court had vacated a jury verdict Moore won against the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC over a 2017 campaign advertisement.
A Supreme Court spokesperson confirmed the denial via email.
This setback hinders Moore's efforts to preserve the multi-million dollar bond securing his damages award before the high court decides whether to grant a full review.
Background of the Dispute
The legal dispute stems from Moore's failed 2017 special election campaign for a U. S.
Senate seat.
The Senate Majority PAC ran an advertisement that Moore claimed falsely portrayed him as soliciting sex from a fourteen-year-old girl.
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A federal jury originally sided with Moore, finding the PAC acted with actual malice under the standard set by the 1964 Supreme Court precedent in New York Times v.
Sullivan.
However, the Eleventh Circuit overturned that outcome, ruling that Moore did not present clear and convincing evidence of actual malice.
The appellate court noted the PAC relied on existing media reports about allegations against Moore.
Moore challenged the court's interpretation, arguing the advertisement fused separate reports and added language to create a single accusation.
In his emergency filing, Moore urged the justices to personally watch the ad rather than rely on transcript fragments.
He stated he implores the Court to watch and listen to the actual ad, not the dissected version in written arguments.
The Senate Majority PAC successfully countered the stay request in the lower court, asserting the Supreme Court was unlikely to review Moore's petition or overturn the ruling.
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While Justice Thomas acted alone on this emergency request, Moore can still file a formal petition for review to the full Supreme Court, which requires four justices' votes to be granted.
