Richard Shelby: “I rise today in honor of Judge Joseph Phelps who was killed tragically in a car accident on June 22, 1996. Joe retired…”

“I rise today in honor of Judge Joseph Phelps who was killed tragically in a car accident on June 22, 1996. Joe retired from his Montgomery circuit judgeship in 1995, after spending 18 years on the bench. He served the State of Alabama, the Alabama judicial system, and our Nation with dignity, prudence, courage, and honor. Joe received both a bachelor's degree and a law degree from the University of Alabama. Even as a youth, Joe showed character in all that he did providing a glimpse into the future of the wise, Christian adult, leader, and honorable jurist he would later become. In 1990, Joe was awarded the Alabama Bar Association's Judicial Award of Merit, its highest award for outstanding and constructive service to the legal profession in Alabama. Joe's Christian values are reflected not only in the way he lived his life, but in the many positive organizations which he led, founded, belonged, and served.”