ThoughtGallery.org > The Supreme Court vs. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Supreme Court vs. Martin Luther King Jr.

In the spring of 1963, a state court judge in Alabama ordered Martin Luther King Jr. and his associates to desist from protesting. King disobeyed the injunction, was jailed, and was later prevented from challenging the constitutionality of the order. In the 1967 case Walker v. City of Birmingham, the Supreme Court upheld the Alabama court’s rulings against King, declaring that “respect for judicial process is a small price to pay for the civilizing hand of law.” Did the Supreme Court rule rightly?

Randall Kennedy is Michael R. Klein Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and author of the forthcoming book From Protest to Law: Triumphs and Defeats of the Black Revolts, 1948–1968.











When: Mon., Apr. 23, 2018 at 6:30 pm
Where: New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
212-873-3400
Price: $38
Buy tickets/get more info now
See other events in these categories: No Categories

In the spring of 1963, a state court judge in Alabama ordered Martin Luther King Jr. and his associates to desist from protesting. King disobeyed the injunction, was jailed, and was later prevented from challenging the constitutionality of the order. In the 1967 case Walker v. City of Birmingham, the Supreme Court upheld the Alabama court’s rulings against King, declaring that “respect for judicial process is a small price to pay for the civilizing hand of law.” Did the Supreme Court rule rightly?

Randall Kennedy is Michael R. Klein Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and author of the forthcoming book From Protest to Law: Triumphs and Defeats of the Black Revolts, 1948–1968.

Buy tickets/get more info now