Bob White Essay, Research Paper

Shariff Elkordy 11/27

Professor Lang

A case of negative impact: Bob White v. Texas

After reading this article, I was surprised that this injustice happened in the United States not to long ago. Bob White had many of his civil rights violated. He spent seven days in jail with no charges being held against him. The police beat him until he confessed. He obviously confessed to a crime he didn t commit. If I was in his place, the cops wouldn t even have to beat me to confess, all they have to do is threaten me or show me there whipping stick and I will confess to anything.

He was tried not even a month after he was accused of committing the crime. This gives the defense a very short amount of time to get a case together against the state. The judge was an obvious racist. He did not let a lot of the evidence that would prove White to be innocent in court. J.P. Rogers had proof that foot prints that were around the Cochran home was planted there by the police and the judge refused to hear it in court. The jury was all racist and Rob White is black. White was sentenced to death.

Rogers took the case to The highest court in Texas, the Texas State Supreme Court of Appeals. Rogers also was unsuccessful here. The judge sentenced White to death and made an execution date. Then the United States Supreme Court heard the case and it was a complete turnaround. The courts accused the district court with arbitrary conduct.

I feel that this case is the types of cases that make a mockery out of the United States Justice system. We should expect the occasional corrupt judge, but we don t expect a corrupt court. When I first read this article I couldn t believe that this happened in the late 1930 s. I would think something like this would happen in the early mid 1900 s.