Declaration of Independence to be read on courthouse lawn on July 1

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    On Friday, July 1, a crowd will gather in front of county courthouses across the state of Texas to hear a reading of the United States Declaration of Independence. Jackson County will be no exception.
    Many Texas counties have done this exact thing, near the July 4th holiday, for years. 2016, however, will be the first year that all 254 counties in the state will participate. 
    The event is sponsored and arranged by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association, and Attorney Brenna Crane has taken the helm in Jackson County.    
    “The point is to read it as close to the July 4 holiday to kind of remember where we came from in terms of the constitution,” she said.
    At 10 a.m. on Friday, July 1, the public is encouraged to join Jackson County defense attorneys in the first statewide reading of the Declaration of Independence.