Thank you, DCDLA!

Thank you, DCDLA!

On Friday, June 5, 2026, Judge Birmingham had the privilege of presenting a case study on Ethics to the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association (DCDLA) at Lone Star Park. Titled “Dynamite Bob and the Cahaba River Bridge Boys,” the presentation offered an immersive, deep-dive analysis into the investigation and complex prosecution surrounding the trial against Robert E. Chambliss for his role in the infamous Birmingham Church Bombing case.

The case study focused on the two fundamental ethical considerations that face a criminal defense attorney: 1) accepting representation in the face of an unpopular alleged crime, and 2) the command to abide by a client’s decision on certain fundamental decisions.  “I am proud to stand before a group who breathe life into the fundamental protections of our law,” Judge Birmingham said. He is deeply grateful to the leadership and members of the DCDLA for the invitation to speak and for their hospitality throughout the event.

In response to several participants who asked for access to some of the sources cited in the presentation, click on the links below.  Meanwhile, if any member of the DCDLA wishes to borrow some of the books in this case, please feel free to come by the 292nd. Judge Birmingham is busy scoring the podcast, “Dynamite Bob and the Cahaba River Bridge Boys” for the next release in his series, “A Murderous Design.” The 4-episode season is set to be released on the 63rd Anniversary of the bombing, October 19, 2026. Keep updated by checking AMurderousDesign.com. In addition to the story of the trial, Chambliss’ Attorney, Judge Arthur Hanes, Jr., was gracious enough to sit down with Judge Birmingham an be interviewed for the show.

  • The entire transcript of the People of Alabama vs. Robert E. Chambliss. In addition to the transcript, all of the pictures used in the presentation are available in the Birmingham Public Library’s digital database available by clicking here.
  • Stephen Jones’ article in the Chapman Law Review called A Lawyer’s Ethical Duty to Represent the Unpopular Client is available by clicking here;
  • All of the books mentioned in the talk are available at Abebooks.com, one of the best places around to buy used books: Bending Toward Justice by Senator Doug Jones; Until Justice Rolls Down by Frank Sikora; Long Time Coming by Elizabeth Cobbs/Petric J. Smith; Last Chance for Justice by T.K. Thorne; Ku Klux Terror: Birmingham, Alabama from 1866-present by Michael Newton.
  • A Treatise on the Nature, Principles and Rules of Circumstantial Evidence by Alexander Burrill is available for free in the public domain at Archive.org. You can read more about the treatise from a previous post by Judge Birmingham by clicking here.
  • Donald Q. Cochran published a law review article about his role in the prosecution of Chambliss co-defendant Bobby Frank Cherry called Ghosts of Alabama that you can read by clicking here;
  • Finally, the FBI has made available several documents and photographs about the case you can browse by clicking here.