Incident Date: March 25, 1931, Scottsboro, Alabama
Individuals Involved: Nine black teenagers - Charlie Weems, Ozie Powell, Clarence Norris, Andrew and Leroy Wright, Olen Montgomery, Willie Roberson, Haywood Patterson, and Eugene Williams
Accusation: Falsely accused of raping two white women on a train
Initial Events
A fight on a train resulted in black travelers expelling white travelers
Two white women, Ruby Bates and Victoria Price, accused the black teenagers of rape to avoid charges of vagrancy and illegal sexual activity
The nine were arrested and quickly indicted, with trials set to begin on April 6, 1931
Trials
Legal Representation: Defendants were given unprepared and inexperienced defense attorneys
Trial Atmosphere: Mob atmosphere, racial tensions, and all-white juries
Verdict: Eight out of nine were sentenced to death; youngest, Leroy Wright, received a hung jury
Appeal Process
International Uproar: Led by Communist Party USA and International Labor Defense (ILD)
Supreme Court Involvement: Powell v. Alabama, 1932 - Convictions overturned due to inadequate legal counsel
Reinforced the right to adequate legal counsel
Retrials: Continued racial exclusion from juries
Ruby Bates recanted testimony
Further Legal Battles
Second Supreme Court Ruling: Norris v. Alabama, 1935 - Overturned convictions due to jury racial bias
Established that excluding blacks from juries violated the Equal Protection Clause
Outcomes and Releases
1950s-1970s: Various releases and pardons
Haywood Patterson escaped in 1948; died in 1952
Ozie Powell sentenced for assault, released later
Clarence Norris pardoned in 1976
Charges dropped for Willie Roberson, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams, and Roy Wright
Legacy
The Scottsboro case highlighted racial injustice in the legal system
Influenced the Civil Rights Movement
2013: Posthumous pardons were issued to Patterson, Weems, and Andy Wright by Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles
Commemoration efforts in Scottsboro, including a historical marker