Supreme Court Cases: The Scottsboro Boys

Necessity of Legal Counsel

1932

In 1932 the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the convictions (Powell v. Alabama) on the grounds that the defendants had not received adequate legal counsel in a capital case. This set the precedent that adequate legal counsel MUST be provided, not just any counsel.

A Jury of Their Peers

1935

In a 1935 decision (Norris v. Alabama), the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the second conviction of the boys, ruling that the state had systematically excluded blacks from juries. This set the precedent of the absolute inclusion of African Americans on juries.

Desegregation

1954

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, case in which on May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously (9–0) that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. This caused all public schools to become desegregated.

Inter-racial Marriage

1967

In Loving v. Virginia (1967), the Court decides that state laws prohibiting inter-racial marriage are unconstitutional.

Jury of Their Peers Upheld

1986

In Batson v. Kentucky (1986), the decision from Norris vs. Alabama holds that a state denies an African American defendant equal protection when it puts him on trial before a jury from which members of his race have been purposefully excluded.