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Photo courtesy of Judge Carl Chamblee
Judge Carl Chamblee
Carl Chamblee closes 40 years on Trussville’s municipal bench.
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Diane Poole
Judge Carl Chamblee
Judge Carl Chamblee stands in his office next to his diplomas.
Carl Chamblee served as Trussville’s presiding municipal court judge for over 40 years. Serving since October 1984, he believed in teaching people to be accountable and learn from their mistakes. You might say he was a “people’s judge,” putting what was best for them at the forefront.
Serving as a municipal judge is very demanding, and in his 40 years, Chamblee missed many a special occasion since he had to be on call 24/7, 365 days a year.
“I have to see prisoners within 72 hours if they can’t get out of jail on a bond. I can’t do it on Zoom — I have to go and actually see them face to face. There were Sundays, holidays, even Christmas Eves when I’d go in to make sure it was done right.”
Chamblee viewed accountability as priority and strove to teach it to people who entered the court system. Over the years, Chamblee became known not only for his fairness but also for his steady philosophy about justice and personal responsibility. That philosophy was simple: make people accountable and give them a chance to do better.
“I didn’t care about the money — I cared that they did what they said they were going to do,” he said. “But I also believed in second chances. If they were willing to work hard, I wanted to give them that opportunity. You can’t fix everyone, but you can help them see that their choices have consequences.”
Situations in which people were able to turn things around were among his favorites.
“I had a young man once who was in trouble with drugs,” Chamblee recalled. “His father came to me and asked if I could help. I told the son, ‘You’ve got six months in jail — or you can join the military.’ He chose the Air Force, became a captain, flew fighter jets and later flew for Delta Airlines. That’s what makes it worthwhile — seeing somebody turn their life around.”
Even after four decades on the bench, Chamblee never lost his sense of humor. When asked about his approach to sentencing, he grinned. “I used to tell folks, ‘You have to work really hard to get put in jail in my court. You can’t just walk up here and go to jail — you’ve got to earn it first. But once you’ve earned it, I’ll make sure you get your full pay for it.’”
It was not unusual for Chamblee to offer payment plans to offenders and let people tell him what they could afford.
“It wasn’t about the money. If they said they’d pay it, I expected them to follow through. They set their own terms, and I held them to it.” He gave another example: “I’ve had senior adults [who’d] been paying $25 a month for years and still owed a few hundred dollars. When I found out, I’d have them come to court and tell them, ‘You’ve done enough — I’m forgiving the rest.’ They’d been faithful and done what was asked of them. The court isn’t there to make money for the city.”
Chamblee couldn’t say enough about his court staff and praised the support received from the city, the police department, the prosecutor and the public defender.
“They’re the heart and soul of it. I just make policy — they’re the ones who make it work.” He continued, “They treated me like a king, and I didn’t deserve it. They’d stand up when I walked in, open the door for me, bring me water, always make sure I had candy at hand. They never called me Carl — always ‘Judge.’ I was blessed with the best people anyone could ask for.”
The municipal court position in Trussville is a part-time role, something many don’t realize. Cities like Birmingham and Montgomery have full-time judges, but smaller cities like Trussville and Mountain Brook don’t. This allows them to get good, qualified judges — who can still practice law — without having to pay full-time salaries.
“When you have a good support staff, you don’t need a judge there 24/7 — you need the right policies and people who follow them,” Chamblee explained.
In his last case on the bench, he learned something from a traffic offense. “A driver came out of Edgar’s and turned into the center turn lane to merge into traffic. The prosecutor told me that’s actually against the law — when you come out of a business, you have to clear both lanes and get straight into the nearest travel lane. You can’t use the turn lane to merge. That was my last trial, and the driver — a trucker — was found not guilty. It was a good reminder that you never stop learning, no matter how long you’ve been doing something.”
As this chapter closes his remarkable career as a judge, Chamblee says he’s grateful for the people, the lessons and the service he’s provided to Trussville. When asked about his plans for life after the bench, he said, “I’m looking forward to spending more time with my wife and daughter. My daughter’s involved at Independence Place and works here at our office a couple days a week. I love that time with her. I want to travel while I still can. After all the years of middle-of-the-night calls, I’m looking forward to sleeping through the night and enjoying life at a slower pace. I’ll miss the people and the bench, but it’s been a great life. I’ve been honored to serve this community. It’s time to rest a little and just be thankful.”
