Legal Defense Fund Wins Release of McComb, Miss. 'Rights' Workers; Alabama Court Stops Prosectuion of Over 200 Core Demonstrators
Press Release
October 24, 1964

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Press Releases, Volume 1. Legal Defense Fund Wins Release of McComb, Miss. 'Rights' Workers; Alabama Court Stops Prosectuion of Over 200 Core Demonstrators, 1964. 49b57e60-b592-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/da1d4446-5f3b-43aa-a165-f1760af9c53f/legal-defense-fund-wins-release-of-mccomb-miss-rights-workers-alabama-court-stops-prosectuion-of-over-200-core-demonstrators. Accessed July 20, 2025.
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10 Columbus Circle New York, N.Y. 10019 JUdson 6-8397 NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund PRESS RELEASE President Dr. Allan Knight Chalmers For Release Director Const SATURDAY Jack Greenberg October 24, 1964 Associate Counsel Constance Baker Motley LEGAL DEFENSE FUND WINS RELEASE OF MCCOMB, MISS. 'RIGHTS' WORKERS McCOMB, Miss,---NAACP Legal Defense Fund lawyers secured release this week of the last 17 Civil Rights workers and local Negroes remaining in jail following a wave of arrests here last month. These arrests were carried out under a specially enacted Mississippi law which charged the Civil Rights advocates with "criminal syndicalism", This was culmination of a brutal summer here during which ten Negro churches in the area were burned to the ground and six- teen bombing; of Negro homes took place since May 28th, NAACP Legal Defense Fund spokesmen said this is the first time in four years that bonds have been secured for civil rights workers in Mississippi. Each defendant posted a $500 bond in order to make the $5,000 bail requirement. In another development, the Federal District Court here named a three-judge panel consisting of Judges Mize and Clayton and Fifth Circuit Justice John Minor Wisdom to hear the Defense Fund motion, filed September 25th, that the Court enjoin the prosecutions, No hearing date has been set for consideration of the Defense Fund's charge that the "criminal syndicalism" law--passed by the State legislature this past spring--violates freedom of speech, is vague and indefinite, and is being used solely to harass and intimidate civil rights efforts. On September 29th, the Defense Fund filed a further petition in the Federal Court here, this one to remove the McComb cases from the Pike County Circuit Court, where, the Fund argued, a fair trial could not be obtained. To date, Pike County attorneys have not responded to the Fund's contention. When they do, a date for hearing argument on the petitions for removal will be scheduled. The defendants, including white COFO worker Dennis Sweeney of Stanford University, face possible fines up to $1,000 and jail terms up to ten years, (more) Jesse DeVore, Jr., Director of Public Information—Night Number 212 Riverside 9-8487 ot had been summarily arrested and jailed in June, 1963, — “i -2- October 24, 1964 ALABAMA COURT .STOPS ~PROSECUTION - te _OF OV ERY200 ‘CORE “DEMONSTRATORS ee ‘MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA--The Alabama Court of Appeals has upset «the contempt convictions of over 200 Gadsden demonstratozs who ay ee £ NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorneys, Norman Amaker of New York and Oscar W, Adams Jr. of Birmingham, hailed’ the favorable ®, ruling but pointed out that the Alabama Court had held up action + on the case for well over a year, thus tying/up over $50,000 :in bail money. i ae The convictions, deemed highly ifregular by Defense Fund hawyers, grew out of CORE's desegregation drive in Gadsden, when Oya Circuit Court issued an injunction on June 17, 1963 enjoining any sit-ins or large-scale demonstrations. ; Immediately upon issuing the injunction, the Circuit Judge © verbally instructed the sheriff to arrest anyone participating fe protest marches. Within a week almost 250 persons were f upeetily arrested and jailed without being charged and without Ba . NAACP Legal Defense Fund lawyers then filed a petition for ~ rit of habeas corpus to secure the release of the jailed demonstrators. They asserted that the Civil Rights workers had received no notice of the injunction, had not been given a hearing, had not been charged formally, and had been denied bail. After a hearing, the Judge denied the petition but finally agreed to set bail. Fund lawyers appealed the ruling to the Alabama Court of Appeals, which has now reversed the Circuit court decision. The now famous case of Miss Mary Hamilton arose at the original hearing of the habeas corpus petition, as Miss Hamilton, a CORE field worker, was cited for contempt when she refused to to answer questions so long as the prosecutor addressed her by her first name. Legal Defense Fund lawyers won a historic U.S. Supreme Court decision last spring when the high court reversed Miss Hamilton's contempt conviction, ruling that Negroes be addressed by courtesy titles, as befits the dignity of all American citizens. ‘ % =50=