Lawyers in every corner of Texas will celebrate—and demonstrate—the significance of Independence Day on July 2. For many years, the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) has organized local public readings of the Declaration of Independence just before July 4 across this great state.

In Nacogdoches and in El Paso, in Dumas and in Brownsville—and in some 140 communities in between—lawyers will gather at county courthouses to recite the Declaration of Independence. The public is invited to witness and participate in the readings and celebrate this great document which separated the American colonies from Britain.

The event in Brown County will be on Friday, July 2, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. on the lawn of the Brown County Courthouse, and is being organized by local attorneys Todd Steele and Judson Woodley.

In a statement about the events:

We are proud to emphasize the patriotism associated with Independence Day. TCDLA recognizes the Declaration of Independence as the bedrock document that not only liberated the colonies but eventually led to the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the American rule of law—concepts criminal defense lawyers use every day to protect individual liberties in courthouses across the land.

The Declaration of Independence is our nation’s most revered symbol of a nation’s stand against the illegal and immoral depredations of the crown against our citizens. It is only fitting that in Texas, which leads the country in the exoneration of those wrongfully accused and imprisoned, criminal defense attorneys serve in the forefront of the battle against the encroachment on our rights today. These readings are our reminder to all in the criminal justice system that abuses of power will be exposed and fought by members of the defense bar.