Defense Fund Argues "Freedom Walker" Case

Document text

The following text has been generated automatically during the document scanning process. It may contain errors, omissions, or incorrect formatting. Please refer to the PDF document if this text is not usable.

Download

By downloading, publishing, or reusing the Materials outside of the Website, you hereby confirm and attest that you have read and agree to the LDF Archival Collection Terms of Use linked below. We draw your attention to the following:

For those Materials owned by LDF, your use of the Material outside the Site is solely for one or more of the following (the “Permitted Purposes”):

Non-commercial research and private study;
Teaching, scholarship and instruction (including distance learning);
Non-commercial print and non-commercial online use;
Criticism, comment or news reporting; or
For people with visual disabilities (See Section 121 of the Copyright Act).
For those Materials not owned by LDF you understand that:
- It is your responsibility to determine whether the way you plan to use the materials falls within the copyright exception of Fair Use.
- For any use outside of Fair Use, it is your responsibility to seek and obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders.

LDF hereby grants you the right to use LDF owned Materials for the Permitted Purposes without seeking further permission from LDF.

If you publish or redistribute any Materials (including excerpts and quotes), you must include a credit line and/or proper citation to the source of the Material. However, you may not use the name of LDF in any manner which creates any false association between you and LDF or that incorrectly implies any sponsorship or endorsement of you by LDF.

NOTICE: Uses that do not comply with these Terms or that do not fall under Fair Use (or another exception) may make you liable for copyright infringement.

Read the full LDF Archival Collection Terms of Use Here.

I agree to the terms and conditions for use of this content.

If you would like to use this content in other ways, contact us at .

Collection
- Press Releases
Creator
- LDF
Taxonomy
Identifier
- 891c26b4-bd92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b

Cite this item

Press Releases, Loose Pages. Defense Fund Argues "Freedom Walker" Case, 1964. 891c26b4-bd92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/4a7ceb1e-bf8f-497a-86df-5cbdeca18f9b/defense-fund-argues-freedom-walker-case. Accessed November 23, 2025.

Copied!

    z g 

PRESS RELEASE 

NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND 
TOCOLUMBUS CIRCLE + NEW YORK19,N.Y. © JUdson 6-8397 

DR. ALLAN KNIGHT CHALMERS JACK GREENBERG. CONSTANCE BAKER MOTLEY 
President Director-Cownsel Associate Counsel 

DEFENSE FUND ARGUES 
“FREEDOM WALKER"CASE 

January 11, 1964 

NEW ORLEANS---Jack Greenberg, director-counsel of the NAACP Legal 

Defense Fund, came to the defense of the "Freedom Walkers" in the 

U.S. Court of Appeals here this week. 

The Defense Fund asked the Appeals: Court -to declare as error 

the Federal District Court's refusal to hear the "Freedom Walker's" 

claim that their constitutional rights were being infringed by 

Alabama, 

The "Freedom Walkers” began in Chattanooga, Tenn,.last May 

ist. They planned to march to Jackson, Mississippi, following the 

path of slain postman William Moore. 

Mr. Moore had attempted a one-man march, but was murdered near 

Gadsden, Alabama on April 23rd, 1963, 

On learning of "Walkers" plans, Al Lingo, Alabama's director of 

public safety, ordered arrest of the marchers, on charges of breach 

of the peace, if they crossed the Alabama state line. 

NAACP Legal Defense Fund Attorney Fred D. Gray, of Montgomery, 

sought a temporary restraining order and a preliminary and permanent 

injunction to prevent Alabama authorities from blocking the march, 

However, the Federal District Court refused to hear the 

marchers'.plea, 

They were arrested on May 3rd, when they crossed the Alabama 

line, and their organizations, the Congress of Racial Equality, Student 

Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and the NAACP were later enjoined, 

by an Alabama State Court, from acts "designed to consumate con- 

spiracies...." 

(more) 



Defense Fund Argues -2- 
"Freedom Walker"Case 

Mr. Greenberg, and other Defense Fund attorneys, argued in 

their brief in the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, that the 

“marchers were engaged in the exercise of constitutionally protected 

expression and were not subject to interference by state authorities 

seeking to prevent expression of their views." 

Messrs. Greenberg and Gray were joined by Defense Fund 

attorneys, Constance Baker Motley, Derrick A. Bell, Norman Amaker 

and Mel Zarr in handling the case. 

= 30-<

Copyright notice

This collection and the tools to navigate it (the “Collection”) are available to the public for general educational and research purposes, as well as to preserve and contextualize the history of the content and materials it contains (the “Materials”). Like other archival collections, such as those found in libraries, LDF owns the physical source Materials that have been digitized for the Collection; however, LDF does not own the underlying copyright or other rights in all items and there are limits on how you can use the Materials. By accessing and using the Material, you acknowledge your agreement to the Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Materials.

Additional info

To the extent that LDF includes information about the Materials’ origins or ownership or provides summaries or transcripts of original source Materials, LDF does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of such information, transcripts or summaries, and shall not be responsible for any inaccuracies.

Defense Fund Argues "Freedom Walker" Case

Collection

Creator

Taxonomy

Identifier

Cite this item

Copyright notice

Additional info

You may also be interested in