On March 25, 1931, two white women accused nine black men of raping them in the town of Paint Rock, Alabama. Taking place in the segregated South, this claim caused outrage to spread all throughout Alabama and the South, and the nine black men immediately became scapegoats.
An important figure of these trials that is often forgotten is Judge James Horton from Athens, Alabama, who was the presiding judge at the retrial of Haywood Patterson. The nine black men were all found guilty upon completion of their trials in Scottsboro; however, the Supreme Court agreed that they could not be tried fairly in Scottsboro and moved the trials to Decatur. This is how the trials ended up taking place in Judge Horton’s court.
An important figure of these trials that is often forgotten is Judge James Horton from Athens, Alabama, who was the presiding judge at the retrial of Haywood Patterson. The nine black men were all found guilty upon completion of their trials in Scottsboro; however, the Supreme Court agreed that they could not be tried fairly in Scottsboro and moved the trials to Decatur. This is how the trials ended up taking place in Judge Horton’s court.
The public, blinded by racism, expected the black men to be found guilty without any struggle. Before the case began, Judge Horton also expected the trials to go smoothly without any real barriers to their convictions. However, after hearing the testimony of Victoria Price, Judge Horton quickly realized that the claims being made against the nine black men were fallacious. Even after evidence that did not prove Haywood Patterson’s guiltiness beyond a shadow of doubt, the jury still concluded that Patterson was indeed guilty. The systematic racism embroiled in the society of the South had won out over legal justice.
It would have been easy for Judge Horton to just simply let the jury’s verdict of guilty stand. He did not have to take a moral and verbal opposition against the verdict. However, this is exactly what Judge Horton did. On June 22, 1933, Judge James Horton boldly overturned the guilty verdict that the jury placed upon Haywood Patterson, claiming:
It would have been easy for Judge Horton to just simply let the jury’s verdict of guilty stand. He did not have to take a moral and verbal opposition against the verdict. However, this is exactly what Judge Horton did. On June 22, 1933, Judge James Horton boldly overturned the guilty verdict that the jury placed upon Haywood Patterson, claiming:
“The Court will not pursue the evidence any further. As heretofore stated, the law declares that a defendant should not be convicted without corroboration where the testimony of the prosecutrix bears on its face indications of improbability or unreliability and particularly when it is contradicted by other evidence. The testimony of the prosecutrix in this case is not only uncorroborated, but it also bears on its face indications of improbability and is contradicted by other evidence, and in addition thereto the evidence greatly preponderates in favor of the defendant. It therefore becomes the duty of the Court under the law to grant the motion made in this case.
It is therefore ordered and adjudged by the Court that the motion be granted; that the verdict of the jury in this case and the judgment of the Court sentencing this defendant to death be set aside and that a new trial is hereby ordered.”
In honor of Judge Horton, the city of Athens, Alabama, recently erected a statue in front of their courthouse. Although the trial took place in Decatur, Judge Horton resided in Athens, a point of pride for citizens there. The statue was unveiled on October 20, 2017, and still stands as a new addition to the downtown square. The city constructed this statue to recognize Judge Horton in his unwavering loyalty to morals and the justice system, even when his decision was the opposite of the status quo. In a time where many monuments are being disputed as negative, this monument of Judge James Horton stands tall as a symbol of progress.
RESOURCES
RESOURCES
- Video Link to the Monument dedication: http://www.decaturdaily.com/multimedia/judge-horton-monument-dedication/video_70976bc8-b543-11e7-9d8a-ebedc3fa3a65.html
- http://www.decaturdaily.com/news/limestone_county/judge-horton-statue-unveiled-at-limestone-county-courthouse/article_05d8e11b-6e63-5d7f-b869-4b2570e504be.html
- http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3302
- http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1456
 | AuthorSarah Ming is a junior majoring in History and Political Science with a minor in Computing Tech and Applications. She was born and raised in small town Athens, Alabama. Sarah serves as Director of Outreach for UA Not On My Campus as well as Personnel Chair for Chi Omega Sorority. She loves history and reading more than anything else and proudly considers herself a huge nerd. Her post college plans are not set in stone, but she plans to continue in schooling and get her Masters Degree. |
RSS Feed