Rogers v. Alabama, 192 U.S. 226 (1904)

Rogers v. Alabama

No. 407

Submitted January 4, 1904
Decided January 18, 1904
192 U.S. 226

ERROR TO THE SUPREME COURT

OF THE STATE OF ALABAMA

Syllabus

A motion to quash an indictment for murder was made on the ground that all colored men had been excluded from the grand jury solely because of their race and color, and because of a certain provision of the state constitution alleged to deny them the franchise in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. These provisions were set out. The motion, about two octavo pages in length, was stricken from the files by the state court on the ground of prolixity, members of the grand jury not having to have the qualifications of electors.

Held, on error, that the reference of the motion to the constitutional requirements concerning electors as one of the motives for the exclusion of the blacks did not warrant such action as would prevent the court from passing on constitutional rights which it was the object of the motion to assert, and that the exclusion of blacks from the grand jury as alleged was contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

The facts are stated in the opinion.