July 4, 2020 - A recent tradition in Shelby County since 2016, and across Texas, has been the reading of the Declaration of Independence by local criminal defense lawyers on or around Independence Day.
With the ongoing threat of COVID-19, other plans were made, and local criminal defense lawyer Deck Jones stated, "Because of the pandemic, this is being handled differently this year," and "This video is of lawyers from around the state reading the Declaration. We will not be reading the declaration locally, but we would appreciate your sharing this video with your readers and listeners."
The Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) also issued the following statement:
Each year shortly before July 4, Texas criminal defense lawyers gather on courthouse steps throughout the state to honor the Declaration of Independence. They read the great document to celebrate our American freedoms and the real meaning of Independence Day. It is a tradition unlike any other in the nation.
This year, because of public health concerns, many such readings will be impossible. So, statewide TCDLA Declaration reading organizers Robb Fickman of Houston and Chuck Lanehart of Lubbock produced a short video featuring a reading of the Declaration. The readers are criminal defense lawyers from all corners of the state who normally organize celebrations of the Declaration on their respective courthouse steps.
TCDLA hopes you will enjoy this heartfelt and inspiring video, which acknowledges the shortcomings of the Declaration with a reminder that the 1776 signing in Philadelphia was the beginning of a continuum of American progress toward equal rights for all: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Women's Suffrage Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and now Black Lives Matter.
Special thanks to Chuck Lanehart and Robb Fickman for organizing and creating this amazing video!
The following two links are to the same video created on behalf of the TCDLA:
TCDLA YouTube Channel
Vimeo Link
The video below is the 2019 reading of the Declaration of Independence by Shelby County Criminal Defense Lawyers:
