Powell V. Alabama: The Scottsboro Boys and American Justice (Historic Supreme Court Cases)

Horne, Gerald

ISBN 10: 0531113140 ISBN 13: 9780531113141

Publisher: Franklin Watts, 1997

Synopsis

Examines the individuals and the issues involved in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case which affirmed the right of an accused person to effective legal representation.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up. Horne retells the facts of the 1932 case in which nine young black men, some only boys, were accused by two white women of rape, though one later recanted. A judge assigned the Scottsboro Nine insufficient and unprepared defense, and, when eight of them were convicted and sentenced to die, the International Labor Defense sent attorney Joseph Brodsky to Alabama to appeal the guilty verdicts. Eventually, the Supreme Court's decision guaranteed the defendants a new trial. The decision served as the foundation for the principle that everyone charged with a crime in the United States has the right to effective legal counsel. Readable and fascinating excerpts from briefs of both sides are presented, as is the discussion of how difficult it is to establish standards to assure the effectiveness of counsel. In fact, the author points out that year by year, the Powell decision has diminished in clout as lack of funds and heavy case loads in the court system lessen the reality of adequate defense. Excellent-quality photographs illuminate the period in which these events took place. A solid series entry.?Susan F. Marcus, Pollard Middle School, Needham, MA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 9^-12. The right to an effective defense is the subject of this title in the Historic Supreme Court Cases series. Horne roots the issue in the case of the Scottsboro Boys who were falsely accused, convicted, and sentenced to die for the rape of two white women in Alabama in 1931. He shows how their appeals to the Supreme Court eventually established the important principle of the right to effective counsel. Readers will be caught by the human drama of that case, but the next chapters bog down in the minutiae of legal principles and arguments, stretching back through history. Horne tries to make you think about the issues, but the prose here is dense, difficult, and repetitive. Many will want to skip to the last chapter, which eloquently discusses the disturbing miscarriages of justice that take place today when defendants may still be denied a fair defense, even when faced with the death penalty. There are excellent, readable source notes and the photos throughout help to personalize the abstract discussion. Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: Franklin Watts
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0531113140
• ISBN 13: 9780531113141
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 128