NAACP Wins Moore v. Dempsey: Supreme Court Orders Review of Mob-Dominated Trials

In Moore v. Dempsey, the Supreme Court ruled 6-2 that the convictions of twelve Black men sentenced to death after the Elaine Arkansas Massacre violated due process because their trials were dominated by mob intimidation. The NAACP had argued that the trials lasted minutes, no Black jurors were seated, defense counsel called no witnesses, and an armed mob surrounded the courthouse. The ruling was the first time the Supreme Court held that a state criminal proceeding violated federal due process guarantees — a foundational precedent for federal court review of state criminal trials.