NBL HOF Flipbook - Flipbook - Page 12
ABOUT
JUDGE CHARLES PRICE
Growing up in Hunter Station, Alabama, Retired Judge Charles Price experienced and observed the challenges and
courage of the working poor, which imbued him with a strong moral compass and a deep commitment to serve
others. He served in the Army as a paratrooper, Green Beret, and in the Reserve, ultimately retiring as a Lt. Colonel.
Upon graduating from Virginia Union University and George Washington University
School of Law (with honors), he first worked in the United States Department of
Justice before returning to Alabama to become an Assistant Attorney General. Later,
he served with distinction as Acting District Attorney for Escambia County, Alabama
(the first African American District Attorney in Alabama), and as Assistant District
Attorney for Montgomery County.
For 32 years, Judge Price served as a model Circuit Judge for Montgomery County,
retiring in 2015 as Presiding Judge. His ethical standards and unflinching courage in
protecting the rights of all were recognized in 1997 when he became the 1st African
American recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award for “the
integrity and political courage he demonstrated by reversing his own decision and ruling that [a] fellow Circuit
Court Judge must remove or modify his courtroom display of the Ten Commandments, so as not to violate the First
Amendment.” Judge Price stood against local and national attacks, including the Governor’s threat to use the
National Guard and state troopers to prevent the order’s execution, a US House of Representatives vote and
nonbinding resolution in support of the display, and the US Senate Majority leader support of the offending judge.
On January 6, 1999, Judge Price was unanimously elected Presiding Judge of the 15th Judicial Circuit, and in 2009,
the Montgomery County Commission unanimously voted to rename the Montgomery County Courthouse the
Phelps-Price Justice Center.
Judge Price has served as President of the Alabama Circuit Judge’s Association, President of The Montgomery
Chamber of Commerce, and Chair of the Alabama Ethics Commission. He co-authored the Alabama Peace
Officers’ Guide to Law Enforcement, served on Boards of Directors of many organizations, organized a
comprehensive Judicial Seminar at Yale University Law School and helped organize and establish Gerry Spence
Thunderhead Judicial College. He also has sponsored numerous job fairs to help combat chronic unemployment.
Currently, Judge Price manages Price Law Group and is a Senior Advisor to the Honorable Steven Reed, Mayor of
the City of Montgomery.
