Charles Morgan Jr.
Charles Morgan Jr. | |
---|---|
Born | March 11, 1930 Cincinnati, Ohio |
Died | January 8, 2009 | (aged 78)
Education | University of Alabama |
Occupation | Attorney |
Known for | Reynolds v. Sims Representing Julian Bond and Muhammad Ali |
Charles "Chuck" Morgan Jr. (March 11, 1930 – January 8, 2009) was an American civil rights attorney from Alabama who played a key role in establishing the principle of "one man, one vote" in the Supreme Court of the United States decision in the 1964 case Reynolds v. Sims and represented Julian Bond and Muhammad Ali in their legal battles.
Biography
Early life
Morgan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 11, 1930, and was raised in Kentucky. He moved with his family to Birmingham, Alabama, at the age of 15.[1] Morgan attended the University of Alabama, where he earned his law degree and met his wife, the former Camille Walpole.[2]
Civil rights involvement
The day after the
The two biggest points of democratic power Morgan focused on were voting and equal dealing of justice among all citizens but specifically for Southern blacks.[3] As the Civil Rights Movement was progressing, separatism became a more prevalent and widespread idea. But Morgan did not support it, favoring integration[5] over separatism. Morgan had always had close ties and favorable relations with groups he did not necessarily agree with, though, such as segregationists and "silent moderates".[3]
Charles Morgan was a
Trials
In 1964, he established the Southern Regional Office for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Atlanta.[6] He fought three court cases concerning Vietnam War protests as a leader of the ACLU. Through these cases, he was responsible for directing international attention to the limitations placed on soldiers' free speech.[7] In 1972, the ACLU named Morgan as the legislative director of its national office in Washington, D.C.[6] Morgan led the ACLU's effort to have President Richard Nixon impeached from office.[7] In June 1973, though there was little talk of impeachment among the public, Morgan predicted to his staff that Nixon would be removed from office “by the end of the year.” He edited and published a 56-page handbook entitled “Why President Richard Nixon Should Be Impeached,” explaining the process, which the public barely knew about. He circulated it to all members of the United States Congress.[8]
Morgan and a group of other lawyers filed a lawsuit in 1962 that aimed to require reapportionment of the Alabama Legislature, to undo a system under which rural counties in southern Alabama had far greater voting strength than areas in the urbanized northern portion of the state. In the 1964 Supreme Court case Reynolds v. Sims, Morgan successfully argued that districts in state legislatures needed to be of nearly equal size, establishing the principle of "one man, one vote" to effectively end the use of gerrymandering that gave greater political power to the rural legislators who controlled the Alabama Legislature.[2][6] Morgan was also a part of the White v. Crook case. This case caused Alabama juries to become racially integrated and declared that barring women from the Alabama juries was unconstitutional. Another case Morgan was involved in was Whitus v. Georgia of 1967. In this case, five Georgian death penalty convictions were set aside because the case declared discriminatory juries as a result of racially segregated tax digests unconstitutional.[9]
After Julian Bond was prevented from taking his seat in the Georgia House of Representatives after having made statements opposing United States involvement in the Vietnam War, Morgan appealed to the United States Supreme Court successfully to have Bond seated.[6]
He also served on Muhammad Ali's legal team that appealed his conviction on draft evasion after Ali refused to serve during the Vietnam War citing religious objections, and successfully appealed the case before the U.S. Supreme Court.[6]
In 1967, Morgan represented
At a party in Washington, D.C., an attendee from New York indicated that he would not vote for
Private practice and later life
After leaving the ACLU, Morgan spent the remainder of his career in private practice. He represented the
During his lifetime, Charles Morgan wrote two books: A Time to Speak (describing his experiences prior to 1963) and One Man, One Vote (describing his experiences in the 1960s and 1970s). In A Time to Speak, Morgan wrote: "What's it like living in Birmingham? No one ever really has known and no one will until this city becomes part of the United States. Birmingham is not a dying city; it is dead."[1][9]
Morgan died at age 78 on January 8, 2009, at his home in Destin, Florida, as a result of complications from Alzheimer's disease.[6]
Works
- Charles Morgan: A Time to Speak, New York : Holt, Rinehart an Winston, 1964, ISBN 0-03-013956-2
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Cohen, Andrew (September 13, 2013). "The Speech That Shocked Birmingham the Day After the Church Bombing". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Reed, Roy. "Charles Morgan Jr., 78, Dies; Leading Civil Rights Lawyer", The New York Times, January 9, 2009. Accessed January 12, 2009.
- ^ a b c [1] Powledge, Fred. "SOMETHING FOR A LAWYER TO DO." The New Yorker 25 Oct. 1969, Profiles sec.: 62. The New Yorker. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.
- YouTube, September 16, 1963. Accessed January 12, 2009.
- ^ "Helmsley Lecture Series; Charles Morgan, Jr". American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
- ^ Sun-Sentinel, January 12, 2009. Accessed January 12, 2009.
- ^ a b [2] Reed, Roy. "Charles Morgan Jr., 78, Dies; Leading Civil Rights Lawyer." The New York Times. The New York Times, 9 Jan. 2009. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.
- ^ Impeachment Book Offered by ACLU, The New York Times, 25 Nov. 1973.
- ^ a b "Charles Morgan Jr". Alabama State Bar. Archived from the original on 2013-08-02. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
- ^ Bigart, Homer. "Court Martial; Levy Pleads the 'Nuremberg Defense' Complexion Changes Defense Strategy Soldier's Rights", The New York Times, May 21, 1967. Accessed January 12, 2009.
- ^ Illson, Murray. "WASHINGTON CHIEF OF A.C.L.U. RESIGNS; Charles Morgan Jr. Charges Superiors Tried to Restrict His Public Statements", The New York Times, April 10, 1976. Accessed January 12, 2009.
- ^ EEOC v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 628 F. Supp. 1264 (N.D. Ill. 1986) (Sears II).
- ^ Possley, Maurice (1986). Sears Wins 12-year Fight Over Bias Chicago Tribune 04 February 1986. Retrieved 2012-12-10.