Fifth Circuit Four
The "Fifth Circuit Four" (or simply "The Four") were four judges of the
"The Four" were
The jurisprudence of the group led to expansion of the rights granted in Brown v. Board to other areas of society, such as employment, integration, and voting rights.[1] Since Brown did not specify the mechanisms for desegregation, it was crucial that lower federal courts such as the Fifth Circuit expanded civil rights law. In several court cases, such as Louisiana v. United States, the court struck down "race neutral" laws that functionally denied African Americans their rights due to unequal application. In response, the judges faced major backlash from their communities, who were largely against integration and civil rights for African Americans. The judges received many phone threats and had their personal property destroyed or vandalized.[2]
Quote
"The
- - Judge John Minor Wisdom, writing for the majority in United States v. Jefferson County Board of Education, 1966.[3]
See also
- Frank Minis Johnson – a U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Alabama whose rulings had a strong impact on civil rights in the American South.
- Elbert Tuttle – the chief judge on the Fifth Circuit 1960-67 (after Rives and before Brown), and a member of the group of four.
References
- ^ ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
- ^ Grinstein, Max (2020). "The Fifth Circuit Four: The Unheralded Judges Who Helped to Break Legal Barriers in the Deep South" (PDF). Society for History Education.
- ^ Circuit, United States Court of Appeals Fifth (1966-12-29). "372 F2d 836 United States v. Jefferson County Board of Education". Open Jurist. F2d (372): 836.