Letter from Public Affairs re Coker v. Georgia

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Peggy Cooper Davis Oral History

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- 515b89d8-bd92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b

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Press Releases, Loose Pages. Letter from Public Affairs re Coker v. Georgia, 1977. 515b89d8-bd92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/aca398d1-5663-4e0f-92ae-c3affcf7db5d/letter-from-public-affairs-re-coker-v-georgia. Accessed November 23, 2025.

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NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC 

10 Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y. 10019 (212) 586-8397 

March 18, 1977 

Executive Producer 
"Not For Women Only" 
WNBC-TV 
30 Rockefeller Plaza 
NewYork, New York 

Dear Sir: 

On March 28, LDF will argue a case before the Supreme 
Court, Coker v. Georgia, that we believe will result in 
abolition of the death penalty for rape. 

Ten years ago, the Fund began its campaign of litigation 
to have capital punishment declared unconstitutional as a 
penalty for rape. Ninety-percent of those who had been 
sentenced to die for this crime were black, and virtually 
all of them had been accused of raping white women -— making 
it the most racially discriminatory application of the 
death penalty. 

The story of that 10 year effort is a dramatic one - 
encompassing startling statistical findings, elaborate 
legal theorizing that broadened the Fund's focus to 
capital punishment in general, and extraordinary efforts 
by LDF lawyers to monitor every death row case in the 
country to prevent any execution. For fully 10 years 
they successfully maintained a moratorium on state- 
imposed murder. 

The Coker case, if we are successful, will represent a 
great moral and practical victory, and one that will have 
substantial legal consequence. The chief lawyers in the 
case are David Kendall, who will argue the case before the 
Court, and Peggy Davis. 

If you wish to cover this issue in some fashion, we will be 
happy to provide you with whatever information or access 
you require. Feel free to call either attorney directly, 
or contact LDF Director-Counsel Jack Greenberg, who has 
spearheaded this effort since its inception. 

Sincerely, 

Shonckadt— 
Sylvia Kronstadt 
Public Affairs 

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Letter from Public Affairs re Coker v. Georgia

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