DIVERSITY ISSUES King/Thurgood: The Intertwinement of Destiny continued from page 8 On February 1st, two days after King’s house was bombed, a petition- which would eventually become the historic case of Browder v. Gayle- was filed in the U.S. District Court challenging the constitutionality of the Alabama state statutes and Montgomery city ordinances requiring the segregation of buses6. On June 5th, the District Court ruled segregation on Alabama’s intrastate buses was unconstitutional, citing Brown v. Board of Education as precedent for the verdict7. Despite the ruling, King urged the continuance of the Montgomery bus boycott until the ruling took effect. On November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s ruling and struck down all laws requiring segregated seating on public buses8. However, the boycott continued until the order physically arrived in Montgomery- leading the MIA to operate the boycott for an additional month. On December 20th, thirteen months after the boycott began, King called for the end of the bus boycott. The next day, early in the morning, King boarded an integrated bus with civil rights leaders Ralph Abernathy, Nixon, and Glenn Smiley9. King would not have won his first victory, the Montgomery bus boycott, if Marshall had not first won the Brown case. Marshall fought for equality in the courtroom- dedicating his life to the law. King fought for equality in the public- giving his life for the people. They were different; yet, they were the same. Both were fighters in the war of equality for all- a war still being fought today.
ENDNOTES:
Browder v. Gayle 142 F. Supp. 707. 7 Id at 716. 8 Browder v. Gayle, 352 U.S. 903. 9 Id. at Montgomery Bus Boycott. 6
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February 2020
DBA Section Meetings Monday 3rd Noon | Juvenile Law @ CASA Meeting Room Juvenile Court Wednesday 5th Noon | Young Lawyers Division Topic: Jury Selection and Jury Trials with Dennis Lieberman 4pm | Estate Planning Trust & Probate Topic: Charitable Trusts/Classification and Creation with Ed Smith and Jack Pook Friday 7th 11:30am | Public Service & Congeniality @ The Old Courthouse Tuesday 11th Noon | Labor & Employment Topic: Managing Workplace Violence 5pm | Civil Practice & ADR @ Mudlick Tap House, 135 East 2nd St. Topic: Hot Topics in Civil Litigation Wednesday 12th Noon | Appellate Court Practice Thursday 13th Noon | Domestic Relations Noon | Real Property Wednesday 19th Noon | Criminal Law Thursday 20th Noon | Workers Comp & Social Security Friday 21 Noon | Diversity Issues @ Legal Aid Offices st
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February 2020 Dayton Bar Briefs
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