[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 89 (Thursday, June 20, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO FORMER ALABAMA CIVIL APPEALS JUDGE JOHN CRAWLEY

                                  _____
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 20, 2013

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the service of a 
distinguished Alabamian who was known for his unshakeable integrity and 
fairness on the judicial bench.
  Judge John Crawley of Brundidge, a former long-time judge on the 
Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, passed away after a long illness on 
June 1, 2013, at the age of 73.
  Judge Crawley was born on February 28, 1940 into a family of four 
children in Troy, Alabama. He received his undergraduate and law 
degrees from the University of Alabama.
  After college, he served as a law clerk on the Court of Appeals of 
Alabama for Judge George Johnson, and then served as an Assistant 
Attorney General assigned to the Alabama Department of Revenue. In 
1969, he returned to Pike County. While practicing law in Troy, he 
helped establish Hand-In-Hand, a nonprofit organization devoted to 
helping handicapped students.
  In April 1991, he was appointed Circuit Judge of the 12th Judicial 
Circuit for Pike and Coffee Counties by Governor Guy Hunt and served 
until January 1993.
  In 1994, Judge Crawley made his mark on state political history as 
one of the first Republicans elected to Alabama's Civil Appeals Court. 
He accomplished this feat without asking for a single campaign donation 
or buying any advertisements. He reportedly only made one campaign 
speech. His reputation as an impartial, hard-working judge ensured his 
reelection in November 2000.
  During his tenure, Judge Crawley served on the Alabama Supreme 
Court's Task Force on Judicial Elections. Additionally, he served on 
the Supreme Court Standing Committee on the Alabama Rules of Juvenile 
Procedure, the Alabama State Bar Committee on Alternative Methods of 
Dispute Resolution, and the State Agency ADR Task Force. He was also a 
member of the Judicial Inquiry Commission, having been appointed to 
that position by the Alabama Supreme Court.
  Judge Crawley was associated with over 3,000 decisions during his 
tenure on the court and he is still quoted by the Alabama Supreme Court 
on a number of issues. He was also known to have had more of his 
dissents adopted by the Alabama Supreme Court than any other judge on 
the Court of Civil Appeals.
  He retired in 2007 after serving two six-year terms on the Court of 
Civil Appeals, including two years as Presiding Judge (2005 to 2007).
  Judge Crawley was an active member, deacon, and former Sunday school 
teacher of the Banks Baptist Church in his native Pike County. He was 
said to have affected thousands of lives in his rulings and by his 
relationships with others. He wanted to make a difference and he left 
the world a better place.
  On behalf of the people of Alabama, I wish to extend my condolences 
to his wife, Sherrie, and their son, Brantley; his brother, Larry; and 
sister, Nancy and their entire family. You are all in our thoughts and 
prayers.

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