Home > Great American Court Cases > Patterson v. Alabama

Legal Citation: 294 U.S. 600 (1935)

Petitioner
Haywood Patterson

Respondent
State of Alabama

Petitioner's Claim
That the exclusion of blacks from a jury list should invalidate the conviction of a black defendant.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Walter H. Pollak

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Thomas E. Knight, Jr.

Justices for the Court
Louis D. Brandeis, Pierce Butler, Benjamin N. Cardozo, Charles Evans Hughes (writing for the Court), Owen Josephus Roberts, Harlan Fiske Stone, George Sutherland, Willis Van Devanter

Justices Dissenting
None (James Clark McReynolds did not participate)

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
1 April 1935

Decision
Hayward Patterson's conviction was overturned based on evidence of the systematic exclusion of blacks from jury...