JUNE 1, 1964

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned Alabama's ban on the NAACP, allowing the NAACP to operate in the state for the first time in eight years. 

NAACP leader Ruby Hurley set up the office in Birmingham in 1951, only to be forced to flee the state five years later after Alabama authorities aggressively investigated the NAACP and tried to seize membership records. 

After the NAACP refused, an Alabama judge levied a fine against the organization and threatened more penalties by refusing to comply. The NAACP sued, only to have the Alabama Supreme Court dismiss the litigation. NAACP lawyers argued that the release of such records could invite reprisals and attacks on their members. 

In 1958, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the right of association and assembly under the First Amendment is protected by the due process clause of the 14^th Amendment. If the high court had upheld the state's attempts to seize membership records, it would have dealt a serious blow to the organization, its members and the movement itself.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Most Mississippi Republican politicians quickly took to social media this week to defend Donald Trump and to attack the New York justice system after the former president was convicted of 34 felony charges.

The former president was found guilty of charges related to falsifying business records to conceal that just before the 2016 election he paid off porn actress Stormy Daniels to conceal a sexual encounter.

Mississippi politicians, claiming the guilty verdict was politically motivated to harm Trump's election chances, echoed some of the same attacks they used in 2020 after they falsely claimed, like Trump, that the presidential election was stolen. In 2020, many Mississippi politicians supported the former president's effort to throw out votes cast by millions of Americans in order to reverse the outcome of the election.

READ MORE: Several Mississippi Republicans among those seeking to throw out millions of ballots

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who twice was endorsed by Trump, said on social media: “The lawless conviction of President Donald Trump only reflects the desperation of President Biden and the corrupt methods he will use to steal this election. I am confident that justice will prevail, and the people of America will not reward the leftwing wannabe dictators abusing our justice system in November.”

Reeves falsely blamed the conviction on President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020. The pair will most likely face off again in November as both vie for a second term. But Trump was not convicted by the U.S. Department of Justice. The case was brought by state District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who was democratically elected by voters of Manhattan, where Trump has lived for most of his life.

State Sen. Brice Wiggins of Pascagoula, who did not attack the jury verdict, was an exception among Mississippi Republicans on social media.

“All jurors deserve thanks and respect. They are the foundation of the best judicial system in the world (though not perfect).” He added that the Republicans leadership “has a lot of soul searching to do.”

He also posted, “Thomas Jefferson wrote, ‘I consider [trial by jury] as the only anchor yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.'”

Some came to Wiggins' defense on social media, but he was attacked by many for his defense of the jury system. Before being elected to the state Senate, Wiggins served as an assistant district attorney prosecuting criminal cases before juries.

Mississippi U.S. Reps. Trent Kelly and Michael Guest were also local prosecutors before they were elected to Congress, but it did not stop them from attacking the jury verdict.

Kelly, who served as district attorney in northeast Mississippi before being elected to the 1st District U.S. House seat, said on social media: “The verdict against President Trump is a travesty! This action moves us closer to less than a democracy. This political prosecution is a mockery of the American Constitution, and a miscarriage of justice.”

And Guest, who now holds the 3rd District House seat but was previously a district attorney for Madison and Rankin counties, offered similar comments.

“Former President Donld Trump was convicted today on charges that were politically motivated and the evidence presented against him did not arise to the level of reasonable doubt. All Americans are entitled to a fair trial brought by an impartial prosecutor. President Trump was not afforded these fundamental protections and his conviction should be overturned.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, a former Gulf Coast sheriff, who represents the 4th District in Congress, like Reeves incorrectly blamed the prosecution on federal officials.

“Today's verdict—and this entire trial—was based in politics, not the law. The Biden Admin. and their allies continue to weaponize our justice system against their political enemies,” Ezell said. “I look forward to seeing this ridiculous, partisan verdict quickly appealed and overturned.”

State Auditor Shad White and state Attorney General Lynn Fitch, like prosecutors, often depend on juries as part of their job.

White said: “Democrats love to talk about how important democracy is, but today we saw a justice system weaponized to undermine democracy. What a travesty. Make America Great Again.”

Fitch said in a statement: “In a New York courtroom, the American legal system was manipulated for political gain and weaponized against former President Trump. The trial only emphasizes the profound partisan divide in the United States and the outcome sets a concerning precedent for future proceedings. I have faith in the rule of law and expect that on appeal justice will prevail even against this brash manipulation.”

In 2020, Fitch's office joined in a lawsuit that tried to throw out millions of votes in an effort to overturn the election. That lawsuit was quickly dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Secretary of State Michael Watson said: “If they can do it to DJT, they can do it to you. As an aside, if any businesses are looking to get out of NY, our tax structure and regulatory reform measures have Mississippi on the rise. Come on down.”

Andy Gipson, the commissioner of agriculture and commerce, said: “Liberals are coming after conservatives, but I still stand with President Donald J. Trump. Join me in praying for him as he appeals the verdict from a rigged and politically motivated witch hunt of the New York trial. We the voters will have the last word.”

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said simply: “The election is in November. The voters will make the final decision on our president, who will be Donald Trump.”

And state Treasurer David McRae said: “I stand with Trump.”

U.S. Sen, Roger Wicker, who voted to certify the election in 2020 despite Trump's objections, said: “This prosecution has been an outrageous perversion of our system of justice. Unless reversed, it could set a disturbing precedent in which our courts are weaponized by one party against the other. Today is a dark day for the rule of law.'

And junior U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith posted on X, formerly Twitter, the word “truth” in response to a statement of Senate Republicans criticizing the outcome of the trial.

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi's highest-ranking Democrat and sole Black member of the state's congressional delegation, said on social media: “Today's verdict confirms what we have always known: Donald Trump is a criminal who thinks nothing of breaking the law, or our Constitution, to get what he wants. No one, especially an ex-president, is above the law.”

Thompson, who headed a select committee that looked into the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by those trying to stop the certification of the election and Trump's role in that attack, added, “Justice has prevailed.”

READ MORE: ‘An attempted coup': Rep. Bennie Thompson tells the world what happened on Jan. 6, 2021

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Rick Cleveland, a columnist and correspondent for Mississippi Today, will be inducted into the Mississippi Press Hall of Fame during the 158th Annual Meeting on June 28 in Biloxi,.

Cleveland, an award-winning journalist who has spent decades chronicling sports in Mississippi, is the first sports journalist to be inducted. He has been recognized 13 times as Mississippi Sports Writer of the Year. 

“Rick is one of Mississippi's most treasured storytellers,” said Mary Margaret White, Mississippi Today CEO and executive director. “We are so proud to see his years of sports journalism recognized with this incredible honor by the Mississippi Press Association.”

A Hattiesburg native, Cleveland graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. He went on to work at the Hattiesburg American, Monroe (La.) News Star World, Jackson Daily News and Clarion Ledger as a reporter, editor and columnist.

After leaving the Clarion-Ledger in 2012, he served for several years as executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. His work as a syndicated columnist and sports writer has appeared in magazines, periodicals and newspapers. He is the author of four books. His latest, the “Mississippi Football Book,” was published in 2023.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.