Two Public Facilities Discrimination Cases Won

Press Release
January 7, 1960

Two Public Facilities Discrimination Cases Won preview

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  • Press Releases, Loose Pages. Two Public Facilities Discrimination Cases Won, 1960. ec6fd9b7-bc92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/9d5bcd30-727e-407d-b61e-d29e8fd13990/two-public-facilities-discrimination-cases-won. Accessed May 15, 2025.

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NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND 
10 COLUMBUS CIRCLE « NEW YORK 19,N.Y. © JUdson 6-8397 

DR. ALLAN KNIGHT CHALMERS oa THURGOOD MARSHALL 
Director-Countel President 

January 7, 1960 

TWO PUBLIC FACILITIES DISCRIMINATION CASES WON 

New York, N, Y., Jan. 7.--Two public facilities discrimination 

cases were won this week by Thurgood Marshall and his NAACP Legal 

Defense and Educational Fund attorneys. 

In Atlanta, Ga., a federal judge ordered the Dobbs Houses 

Restaurant in the Atlanta airport to cease screening off white and 

Negro patrons in its dining room. 

In Baltimore, Md., another federal court judge ordered the end of 

discrimination in a moving picture theater in Frederick, Md., which 

is owned by the city but leased to a private operator. 

The Atlanta airport case was instituted last year by a Birmingham, 

Ala. insurance man, H. D. Coke, against the Atlanta Municipal Airport 

following an incident when he was informed that he could not be 

served in the Dobbs Houses Restaurant on the same basis as white 

patrons. He would have to sit behind a screen which separated the 

races in the dining room, Mr. Coke was told. Dobbs Houses is the main 

restaurant in the Atlanta airport. 

United States District Judge Boyd Sloan, in ordering the restau- 

rant to cease screening off patrons because of race, also announced he 

will instruct the Atlanta Municipal Airport to stop its discriminatory 

practices, 

The decision in the Maryland case resulted from a suit filed by 3 

Negrces acainst the Marva Moving Picture Theater in Frederick. They 

were forred to sit in the balcony because of their race. The theater 

maintains a separate box office and other facilities for Negroes. 

United States District Jucge Roszei Thompsen announced Wednesday 

that he wili issue an order instructing the theater to cease makiuec 

racial distinctions. 

Attorneys for Mr. Coke in the Atlanta case were Donald L. 
Holloweil of Atlanta, Ga., Peter A. Hall of Birmingham, Ala., end Jack 
Greenberg end Thurgood Marshall of New York. 

In the Frederick, Md. case, attorneys for the Negroes were Juanita 
Mitchell and Tucker R. Dearing, both of Baltimore, Md., and Thurgood 
Marshall and Jack Greenberg of New York City. 

Peter

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