Alabama Bench and Bar Historical Society

Alabama Bench and Bar Historical Society The Bench and Bar Historical Society is devoted to preserving the history of the state's judicial and legal systems..

05/14/2026

May 10, 1820 - Clement Comer Clay was chosen as the state's first Chief Justice by his fellow circuit judges, Henry Y. Webb, Abner Lipscomb, and Richard Ellis.

05/05/2026

May 5, 1799: U.S. Army Lieutenant John McClary takes possession of Fort St. Stephens from the Spanish and the U.S. flag is raised on soil that would eventually belong to Alabama.

04/29/2026

April 28, 1926, Harper Lee was born in Monroeville. Her famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was published on July 11, 1960, and sold more than two-and-one-half-million copies in the first year.

We are pleased to announce that we have reached a goal of obtaining 200 members in the Alabama Bench and Bar Historical ...
04/22/2026

We are pleased to announce that we have reached a goal of obtaining 200 members in the Alabama Bench and Bar Historical Society. This is a first for our organization and we know it will continue to grow.

If every member would recruit one more member, we would double in size quickly.

Thank you to all the judges, active and retired, and attorneys who helped us obtain this remarkable goal!

April 20-24, 2026 is National Library Week. The Alabama Supreme Court and State Law Library will be celebrating with ev...
04/15/2026

April 20-24, 2026 is National Library Week. The Alabama Supreme Court and State Law Library will be celebrating with events throughout the week.

Members of ABBHS and attorneys/court officials in the Montgomery area will be particularly interested in a program on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. This will be a free training in Westlaw with CLE credit. The program will take place from 11:00-12:00 in the Computer Lab of the State Law Library. Please contact us for information on how to register, (334) 229-0566 or (334) 229-0565.

04/02/2026

April 4, 1824:
Robert Coman Brickell, the 14th and 16th Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, was born in Tuscumbia, the first Chief Justice to be born in Alabama. He was admitted to the bar at age 19. After practcing law in Athens and Huntsville, he was appointed Associate Justice in 1873. Brickell was chosen Chief Justice the following year by his colleagues. He was subsequently elected to the Court and continued to serve until his resignation in October 1884. He resumed his law practice in Huntsville, but moved to Montgomery in 1891. When Chief Justice Stone died in 1894, Brickell was appointed to fill the vacancy, thus having a second tenure as Chief Justice. He resigned in 1898 and returned to Huntsville, where he died in 1900.

03/25/2026

March 26, 1910: Orville Wright pilots the first plane to Alabama, causing the Montgomery Advertiser to report "a strange new bird soared over the cotton fields west of Montgomery." The Wright brothers came to Montgomery to set up a pilots' training school. Several pilots were trained, but the brothers left the area by the end of May. Replacement parts for broken machinery were difficult to locate in the area and the flyers' efforts were frustrated by numerous spectators during their stay.

03/12/2026

March 12, 1907: The first special juvenile court in Alabama was established in Mobile after the Legislature passed general juvenile court laws.

March 3, 1817: The Alabama Territory was created when Congress passed the enabling act allowing the division of the Mis...
03/12/2026

March 3, 1817: The Alabama Territory was created when Congress passed the enabling act allowing the division of the Mississippi Territory and the admission of Mississippi into the union as a state. Alabama remained a territory for over two years before becoming the 22nd state in December 1819.

The Alabama Bench and Bar Historical Society wishes to thank Judge Ben Bowden for his presentation and work with first y...
03/03/2026

The Alabama Bench and Bar Historical Society wishes to thank Judge Ben Bowden for his presentation and work with first year law students at the University of Alabama "Lunch with a Judge" on Feb. 25, 2026. Judge Bowden provided excellent information on Lawyers as Public Servants as well as an overview of the appellate process in our judicial system.

ABBHS and the University of Alabama School of Law sponsor this annual event to connect law students with judges who provide pertinent information they can find helpful. Additionally, ABBHS provides three backpacks with some small office supplies and gift cards from the campus bookstore. Students receive tickets and the three lucky winners receive their prize.

Address

P. O. Box 722
Montgomery, AL
36101

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+13342290572

Website

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