NAACP Legal Defense Fund Scores Four Decisive Wins
Press Release
November 13, 1963

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Press Releases, Loose Pages. NAACP Legal Defense Fund Scores Four Decisive Wins, 1963. c7783d61-bd92-ee11-be37-6045bddb811f. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/4a8d128c-0b01-4657-8baf-94698bb92be6/naacp-legal-defense-fund-scores-four-decisive-wins. Accessed July 30, 2025.
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PRESS RELEASE NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND TQ COLUMBUS CIRCLE + NEWYORK19,N.Y. ¢ JUdson 6-8397 DR. ALLAN KNIGHT CHALMERS JACK GREENBERG President CONSTANCE BAKER MOTLEY ae es Associate Counsel NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND SCCRES FOUR DECISIVE WINS November 13, 1963 NEW YORK--Four major courtroom victories were won by NAACP Legal De- fense attorneys in six brief days across the country last week. Jack Greenberg, director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, stressed release of Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee field workers, jailed in Americus, Ga. since August 8, "If Americus officials are permanently enjoined, civil rights attorneys will have a new technique of reigning in the city, county and state officials who use the law as a means of making life diffi- cult for civil rights demonstrators," Mr. Greenberg said, Legal Defense Fund lawyers secured the Americus victory on Nov- ember 1, Meanwhile, in Richmond, Va., the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down racial discrimination against Negro doctors and patients in 11 deep south states. Some 2,000 jim crow medical facilities are affected in these states which have received more than 500 million federal dollars. This victory also came on November 1. Thirdly, admission of Harold Franklin to the graduate school of Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, The University argued that Mr. Franklin had not graduated from an accredited college. However, Legal Defense Fund attorneys pointed out that no Negro college in the state was accredited, and that the Negro students had not been allowed to attend the white colleges which are accredited. November 5 was the date of this win. The fourth victory took place in Arlington, Virginia on October 31 where attorneys are mopping up the remains of that state's massive resistance program, In this case, Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeei affirmed the right of Negro children to attend a completely integratec school system in that county. (more) SS ee NAACP Scores Four Decisive Wins In another development, Legal Defense Fund attorneys asked the Florida Supreme Court to release four teenage youths, jailed in St, Augustine since July 23rd. This is their punishment for participating in a sit-in demon- stration against lily white restuarants, The attorneys are challenging the constitutionality of holding juveniles in jail without bail, Three of the youths are 16, the fourth is 14 years old, The hearing is slated for November 18th. These are but a few of the 8,000 persons currently being de- fended by the Defense Fund in 130 separate actions, Mr. Greenberg said, The 12 New York based attorneys of the Fund, plus the 100 coop- erating lawyers throughout the south, defend members of all the major civil rights groups. The Americus case, which is not finished, represented one. of the most massive legal pushes in civil rights history. Eleven Legal De- fense Fund lawyers worked a total of 81 man days, at long hours, dur- ing this drive. The case was being argued in three different courts ai the time the youths were finally freed, These courts included a U.S. District Court, the Supreme Court of Ga., and the U.S. Supreme Court. Cooperating Attorney C.B. King of Albany, Ga. and Legal Defense Fund staff Attorney Michael Meltsner of New York City, worked one solid month each, = #3008