Roy S. Moore, the unbending chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court whose defiant display of a granite Ten Commandments monument made him a hero to many Christian conservatives, was removed from office by a state disciplinary court.

The unanimous Alabama Court of the Judiciary chastised Moore, saying he brought “disrepute” to the judicial profession in August when he defied a federal court order to remove the 2 1/2-ton Ten Commandments monument that he installed more than two years ago in the sun-splashed rotunda of the state Supreme Court building.

Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, right, hugs his attorney, Terry Butts, outside of the Alabama Judicial Building. Earlier Thursday, Moore was removed from office for ignoring a federal court order to remove his Ten Command-ments monument from the building.

“The chief justice placed himself above the law,” William Thompson, chief judge of the judiciary court, told a crammed courtroom audience.

Moore showed “no signs of contrition” during a one-day trial on six ethics charges, Thompson said.

“I have absolutely no regrets,” Moore told a crowd of admirers.

Though Moore has not announced plans to seek another office, he is widely viewed as a possible candidate for U.S. Senate or as a challenger to Gov. Bob Riley, a Republican who alienated many conservative Christian voters during a failed attempt to pass a multibillion-dollar tax increase.