FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
JoAnne Musick, HCCLA President
832-448-1148 office,  email JoAnne

6th ANNUAL READING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Houston, Texas – June 29, 2015

In celebration of Independence Day, the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) is holding its 6th annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. This year’s event will be led by JoAnne Musick, the association’s president.

HCCLA’s reading of the Declaration is an annual tradition that was started by HCCLA Past President, Robert Fickman. This year he organized similar readings across the state, making defense bar history. Readings by defense lawyers will take place in front of 127 Texas courthouses, covering one-half of all county seats. HCCLA continues to lead Texas with the largest gathering, boasting over 100 local attorneys, judges and Houstonians in attendance.

The Declaration of Independence is our nation’s most cherished symbol of liberty. This sacred document is the founding document of the United States, and contains within its text the fundamental truths and unalienable rights that typify and embody the American way of life: …that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Please join us in honoring our nation’s most sacred document in the spirit of independence:
When: Thursday, July 2, 2014
Where: Harris County Criminal Justice Center
1201 Franklin Street , Houston, Texas
(Front steps of the courthouse)
Time: 11:30 AM

The Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association is the largest local criminal defense bar in the United States with more than 750 active members. For more information about the history of the readings and photos, visit: http://www.criminaldefensedeclarationreading.com/
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Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association also issued their press release as this event has grown into a statewide event:

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Joseph Martinez, Executive Director : TCDLA
TELEPHONE:  (512) 478-2514
PLEASE SEND ELECTRONIC TEARSHEET TO:  declarationreading@gmail.com

Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers to Lead Readings of Declaration of Independence in over 120 Texas Counties on July 2, 2015.

Members of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) are holding Annual Fourth of July readings of the Declaration of Independence at over 120 Texas County Courthouses on July 2, 2015. TCDLA is an organization committed to protecting individual rights guaranteed by the U.S. and Texas Constitutions in criminal cases. The readings were first organized in 2010 by Robert Fickman, a Houston criminal defense attorney, who leads the organization of readings today as well.

Sam Bassett, the President of TCDLA, states: “Criminal defense lawyers fight to protect the liberties of our fellow Americans on a daily basis in courts across Texas. As a group, we are proud to stand united and lead readings of the Declaration of Independence. It is a recognition that our Founders intended for individual liberty to be a paramount concern. As recent events have shown, power threatens these liberties. Prosecutors who illegally withhold evidence, courts that conduct plea mills, abusive police officers and appellate courts who gut the Fourth Amendment are examples of the ongoing struggle within the criminal justice system.”

The members of TCDLA stand united in defense of liberty.

To learn more about this event, please contact TCDLA President Sam Bassett at (512) 472-0144 or sbassett@mbfc.com or Robb Fickman at (713) 655-7400