Supreme Court to Hear Argument on Memphis Airport Case February 26

Press Release
February 26, 1962

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Press Releases, Loose Pages. Supreme Court to Hear Argument on Memphis Airport Case February 26, 1962. 226762fa-bc92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/e5dde38b-4576-4c7b-9c9c-bcfa0124e569/supreme-court-to-hear-argument-on-memphis-airport-case-february-26. Accessed November 23, 2025.

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    PRESS RELEASE 

NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND 
10 COLUMBUS CIRCLE + NEW YORK19,N.Y. © JUdson 6-8397 

DR. ALLAN KNIGHT CHALMERS JACK GREENBERG CONSTANCE BAKER MOTLEY 
President Director-Counsel Associate Counsel 

5 

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENT ON 
MEMPHIS AIRPORT GASE FEBRUARY 26 

February 16, 1962 

NEW YORK - On Monday, February 26, the U. S. Supreme Court 

is scheduled to hear argument on Iurner v. City of Memphis, 

a case involving racial segregation in the Dobbs Houses 

restaurant in the Memphis, Tenn, airport. 

Mrs. Contance Baker Motley, Associate Counsel of the 

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, will argue for 

Mr. Jesse Turner, the Appellant. 

Mr, Turner is appealing from a decision of a three-judge 

federal court of January 23, 1961 which refused to rule on 

the merits of the case. The lower court held that Mr, Turner 

should bring an action in Tennessee courts for construction 

of the state-wide regulation permitting segregation in res- 

taurants promulgated by the Tenn. Dept. of Conservation in 

1952, and for construction of an 1875 state statute giving 

the owners of hotels, public transportation or amusement 

facilities the right to choose their own customers. 

Mrs, Motley is expected to ask the Supreme Court to 

refer the case back to the lower court with instructions to 

decide the case on its merits, and to issue an injunction 

against segregation in the Dobbs Houses restaurant. 

Mr, Turner is the first Negro to be elected to the Demo- 

cratic County Committee in Shelby County, Tenn. since 

Reconstruction. He is executive vice-president and cashier 

of the Tri-State Bank in Memphis. 

The Dobbs Houses restaurant at the Memphis Airport is 

the one which refused service to Deputy Assistant Secretary 

of State Carl Rowan last month. 

NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorneys representing Mr, Turner 

in addition to Mrs. Motley are R. B. Sugarmon, of Memphis, 

Tenn., and Jack Greenberg of New York City.

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Supreme Court to Hear Argument on Memphis Airport Case February 26

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