Rights Attorneys Seek End of GA. Insurrection Charge
Press Release
November 24, 1964

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Press Releases, Volume 2. Rights Attorneys Seek End of GA. Insurrection Charge, 1964. f88ea278-b592-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/11488763-6265-4ee5-9e2f-a367629b0320/rights-attorneys-seek-end-of-ga-insurrection-charge. Accessed April 29, 2025.
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10 Columbus Circle New York, N.Y. 10019 JUdson 6-8397 Legal Defense and Educational Fund PRESS RELEASE President ‘ Dr. se Knight Chalmers conn tee igen cere Jack Greenberg Tuesday Assoctana Conrinah November 24, 1964 Constance Baker Motley "RIGHTS ATTORNEYS SEEK END OF GA. INSURRECTION CHARGE SCLC And "SNICK" Staff Members Defended ALBANY, Ga,---NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorneys today asked a three- judge Federal Court here to stop the “insurrection" prosecutions of two Civil Rights leaders in this strife-torn Southwest Georgia city. The Legal Defense Fund brief was submitted in behalf of Rev. Samuel Wells of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Donald Harris, a field secretary of the Student Non-Violent Coor- dinating Committee. Rev. Wells was arrested last August 18. Both Wells and Harris were charged with circulating insurrec- tionary papers, and Wells was further charged with attempting to incite “insurrection," a capital offense under Georgia law. Legal Defense Fund lawyers last year defended Harris and three other Civil Rights workers charged with insurrection. At that time, the insurrection statute was held unconstitutional. Albany Police Chief, Laurie Pritchett, however, said at a hearing that that ruling made no difference to him. These recent arrests came three days after a Negro was shot and killed by an Albany policeman. Handbills were distributed by the Albany Movement announcing a meeting to decide what form a pro- test should take. After the August 15 meeting, Wells led a group of about 16 people toward the police station. As they were peacefully walking, they were showered with bricks and bottles. Theysubsequently presented a written petition to the police. Although they signed the petition, Harris and Wells were not observed passing out handbills. Legal Defense Fund attorneys filed a removal petition asking the Federal District Court to take jurisdiction on August 22. When this was denied, they sought an injunction to stop the prosecutions on September 15. At that time they also asked that reasonable bail be set, and that no further arrests be made for voter registration activities. On October 15, trial was held before a special three-judge court consisting of 5th Circuit Justice Griffin B. Bell, and District Judges J. Robert Elliott and William A. Bootle. The Court requested the papers filed today by the Legal Defense Fund. Legal Defense Fund attorneys pointed out that the Georgia insurrection statute was first held unconstitutional by the VU. S, Supreme Court in 1937, and that this opinion was reaffirmed last year, They charged that it violated freedom of speech, and is so vague as to delineate no reasonable standards of guilt. Handling the case for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund are C.B. King of Albany, and Director-Counsel Jack Greenberg, Charles H. Jones, Jr., and Charles S. Ralston of New York. =30= Jesse DeVore, Jr., Director of Public Information—Night Number 212 Riverside 9-8487 >