Supreme court cases

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Zbyvan

Business Finance

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First, select one Supreme Court case from the list below:

  • Tennessee v. Garner (1985)
  • Escobedo v. Illinois (1964)
  • Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
  • Cooper v. Pate (1964)
  • Cruz v. Beto (1972)
  • Furman v. Georgia (1972)
  • Williams v. Florida (1970)
  • Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
  • Powell v. Alabama (1932)
  • Harris v. United States (1968)
  • Terry v. Ohio (1968)
  • Florida v. Harris (2013)
  • Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
  • Weeks v. United States (1914)
  • Illinois v. Perkins (1990)

Using the selected case, in your paper;

  • Summarize the background and details of the case and the justices’ ruling.
  • Identify the specific component of the criminal justice system that was most affected by the Supreme Court’s ruling.
  • Provide an in-depth analysis of any operational policy, hiring, or training policy that was, or would be, required to change due to the legal decision.
  • Describe what systemic effect the Supreme Court’s decision had, or has, for the remaining components of the justice system.
  • Detail how a single Court ruling can have systemic effects.
  • Identify and trace system-wide transformation caused by a particular Court ruling.

This assignment needs to be in APA Style,12 pages and 10 references.

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Explanation & Answer

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Running head: POWELL V. ALABAMA (1932)

Supreme Court Cases: Powell v. Alabama
Name:
Institution:

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POWELL V. ALABAMA (1932)

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Historical Background

Race segregation was the norm in the reign of Jim Crow in the 1930s. Indeed,
discrimination worsened due to the devastating effects of The Great Depression. In the 1920s,
the Ku Klux Klan had risen and raided the nation with terror and intimidation (Kennedy, 1988).
According to the Plessy Standards, people in the South with social solitudes reflected desires to
maintain races. Some African- Americans voted and spoke publicly about the abuses in the
south. Powell v. Alabama case testifies about young African American men and how the state
conducts its criminal justice system, unconnected federal authority, and the powers of the
Constitution. The court reasoned that, the defendants must secure the fundamental right to be
represented by the lawyers for a fair trial. Again, the appointed lawyers should have time enough
to prepare adequately for the trials. Powell was the first instance where the Alabama Court
received a reversed criminal conviction violation from the US Supreme Court.
Case Summary
In March 1931, a group of nine young African American was in train freight with seven
white men and two women. These nine black men; Ozie Powell, Charlie Weems, Olen
Montgomery, Clarence Norris, Haywood Patterson, Willie Roberson, Andy Wright, Eugene
Williams, and Roy Wright ages ranged between 13-21 years. The black men, later known as
Scottsboro Boys were accused of raping two white women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates
(Mayeux, 2013).
While in the train, a fight broke out where the white men were thrown out from the train
expect one white guy. The women accused the black men of rape, although later, one woman
withdrew her claims. All the young black men were taken into custody and a multitude gathered

POWELL V. ALABAMA (1932)

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outside the prison following the allegations. The sheriff in Alabama called for backup from the
Alabama National Guards due to the demonstrators outside the jailhouse and the safety of the
defendants. Expect for the 13 year old Roy Wright, the other defendants were sentenced to a
death penalty in a series of a three one-day trials (Mayeux, 2013). The court failed to advise
these men that they could hire lawyers or even contact their relatives. The defendants were kept
under military supervision to avoid any mob violence that could result.
With no access to lawyer in the defendants trials, they appealed their convictions on the
basis that they weren’t provided adequate legal counsel. Chief Justice Anderson wrote worded
dissented opinions on the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that the trials were not fair and the
defendants appealed their ruling to the Us Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court basing on the
arguments that the due process had been violated reversed the remanded defendants ruling. The
Alabama Court had violated the 6th amendments because the young men were not given adequate
legal representation. Also, the 14th amendment stated that no matter the defendant’s case, every
individual has the right to be represented by a lawyer.
The US Supreme Court addressed that the Alabama statute had no problem but the court
failure to grant a fair hearing. In the courts defense to the alleged, according to Alabama statute
if the defendants are incapable of hiring attorneys to represent them, the court was obliged to
appoint counsel in capital cases. They assigned two lawyers to represent the Scottsboro Boys
defense who were unqualified and the representation wasn’t effective to the defendants because
the attorneys didn’t consult their clients (Scherer, 2005). To the Scottsboro Boys this
representation was so superficial but it was meaningless. With the Us Supreme Court, the young
men would be granted new trials and their representative would lend an assisting defense
council.

POWELL V. ALABAMA (1932)

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Most Affected Criminal Justice System by the Supreme Court Ruling
The most affected component by the Supreme Court ruling was the courts. This includes
the judges, lawyers, and the attorneys who play part in the component...


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