LDF to Defend Bobby Seale

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
- 4f3af3fd-b992-ee11-be37-00224827e97b

Cite this item

Press Releases, Volume 6. LDF to Defend Bobby Seale, 1970. 4f3af3fd-b992-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/64be91ee-9f12-44e9-989c-4d4b1e7e101a/ldf-to-defend-bobby-seale. Accessed November 23, 2025.

Copied!

    96 
President 

Hon. Francis E. 

PRESS RELEASE Director Coinsel 
egal ‘efense lund Jack Greenberg 

NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. Piraciens PSDs Relations 
10 Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y. 10019 * JUdson 6-8397 

es 

Jesse DeVore, Jr. 
NIGHT NUMBER 212-749-8487 

February 18, 1970 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

LDF TO DEFEND BOBBY SEALE 

Jack Greenberg, Director-Counsel of the NAKCP Legal Defense 

and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), announced today that the Fund 

will represent Black Panther leader Bobby G. Seale in the appeal of 

the four year contempt sentence imposed on him by U.S. District Judge 
Julius Hoffman. "The Legal Defense Fund is entering the case at 
the request of Black Panther attorney Charles Garry, and will handle 

Seale's case in collaboration with Mr. Garry's office." (some of 
the points that will be raised on behalf of Mr. Seale are also 

applicable to the case of the lawyers and defendants who were 
recently held in contempt by Judge Hoffman.) The Fund is representire 

Mr. Seale for the same reason that it joined with a score of 
national organizations and leaders in a committee headed by 

Rov Wilkins and Arthur Goldberg to investigate the treatment of 

Black Panthers at the hands of the police and prosecutors. Mr. 

Greenberg stated that "it is important that the Panthers and their 

leaders be accorded the fullest protection of the Constitution ‘at 
a time when too many public officials are striving for shortcuts in 
law enforcement and the suppression of militant dissent. Because 
of the particular regard in which Panthers are held by many 

members of the black community, their treatment by the law teaches 

more than a volume of preaching on constitutional protection." 

The appeal is being directed by Michael Meltsner, First Assistant 

Counsel of the Fund, who will be assisted by staff counsel 

Conrad K. Harper, Elizabeth B. DuBois and Eric Schnapper. 

In the case of Mr. Seale, the Fund will raise the following 

constitutional arguments: 

I. Seale's conviction violated his right to jury trial. 

II. Seale's conviction violated his right to counsel. 

III. Seale's conviction violated Due Process because his 
case was tried by a judge who hud shown dislike for 

appellant and his .co-denfendants. 

Iv. Seale's conviction violated Due Process because he was 

not afforded a full hearing. 

Other issues will be presented’as. well. 

In the case of the lawyers, Mr. Greenberg stated, there is 

the additional factor that "the staggering sentences, up to four 

years, may inhibit others when called upon to represent politically 

unpopular clients. Even if there is disruption at a trial, it may 

be the price we have to pay to assure lawyers that they need have 

no fear in doing what, in their judgment, is best for their 

clients. The judge and jury can be counted on to discount personal 

conduct of counsel, ascertain the truth and apply the law." 

maG= 

NOTE: Please bear in mind that the LDF is a completely sepa 

distinct organization even though we were established by § 

P and those initials are retained in our name. Our corr 

gnation is NAACP Legal Defe ional Fund, In 

ently shortened to LDF.

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.

LDF to Defend Bobby Seale

Collection

Creator

Taxonomy

Identifier

Cite this item

Copyright notice

Additional info

You may also be interested in