The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“HONORING THE EXTRAORDINARY CAREER OF JUDGE CHARLES PRICE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the in the Extensions of Remarks section section on pages E560-E561 on May 27.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE EXTRAORDINARY CAREER OF JUDGE CHARLES PRICE
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HON. TERRI A. SEWELL
of alabama
in the house of representatives
Friday, May 27, 2022
Ms. SEWELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary accomplishments of legal scholar, attorney, jurist, and public servant, Judge Charles Price.
A native of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, Judge Price is a graduate of Carver High School in Montgomery, Alabama. Upon graduation, he served six years in the United States Army--three years with the Green Beret Special Forces and three years with the 82nd Airborne Division. After discharge, he continued to serve his country by joining the United States Army Reserve. Retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, Judge Advocate General's Corps, he received numerous Meritorious Service Medals, awards, and commendations for his faithful service to our country.
Judge Price continued his education at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, before earning his law degree with honors from the George Washington School of Law in Washington, D.C. After completing his education, he began his legal career in the Civil Division at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Moving back to his home state of Alabama, in 1973, Judge Price became the Assistant Attorney General for the State of Alabama. The following year, he made history, becoming the first Black District Attorney for Escambia County and the only Black district attorney in the country. Showing his skill as a legal scholar and jurist, Judge Price went on to serve as the Deputy District Attorney for Montgomery County in 1975 before entering the private practice in 1978.
Reentering public service in 1982, Judge Price was appointed Assistant Municipal Judge for the City of Montgomery. Continuing to break down barriers, Judge Price made history again in 1983 after Governor George Wallace appointed him as Montgomery County Circuit Judge, making him the first Black person to hold the position in Montgomery County. After serving for one year, he won the election to his first six-year term in 1984, winning reelection in 1990 and 1996. Judge Price retired after 32 years on the bench on January 9, 2015.
Outside of his career in the courtroom, Judge Price expanded his legacy into the classroom serving as an adjunct professor of Political Science and Criminal Justice at Alabama State University, adjunct professor of law at Jones School of Law and at the University of Alabama Law School, and member of the Board of Trustees at Tuskegee University. He has two honorary doctorates; one for law from the University of West Alabama in 2001 and the other in Christian Humanities from the Global Evangelical Christian College and Seminary in 2005.
As a vibrant member of his community, Judge Price is a proud member of the St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church in Montgomery, where he serves as a steward and Sunday school teacher. His civic affiliations include Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Phi Boule Fraternity, Inc., President of the Montgomery Trial Lawyers Association, President of the Alabama Circuit Judge's Association, member of the National Bar Association, the Alabama State Bar Association, the Alabama Lawyers Association, the Montgomery County Bar Association, and the Capital City Bar Association. Judge Price has also served as president of the Alabama Circuit Judges Association and Presiding Judge of the 15th Judicial Circuit.
Known for his fairness, integrity, and dedication to the law, Judge Price has received numerous awards and honors, including the prestigious 1997 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award in 1998, Attorney Johnnie Cochran Soaring Eagle Award, and the Ernestine S. Sapp Award presented by the Black Law Students Association (BALSA) at the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in 2008. He is also the recipient of the 2000 National Bar Association's Raymond Pace Alexander Award and in 2006 the Association's Wiley Branton Award. In 2009, the Montgomery County Court House was dedicated as the Phelps-Price Justice Center in memory of Judge Joseph Phelps and in honor of Judge Price. That same year he received the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award from the Imperial Council of the Prince Hall Shriners.
On a personal note, Judge Price has always been a trusted mentor and source of wise counsel and wisdom. His daughter Susan and I were college schoolmates at Princeton. I am so grateful for the way his family embraced me as one of their own. As a trailblazer and legal icon, Judge Price is a true inspiration and admiration for so many of us. Congratulations to Judge Price for your significant contributions to the City of Montgomery and the State of Alabama.
On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the extraordinary career of a legal powerhouse, Judge Price, for his decades of service to the State of Alabama and this nation.
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