The U.S. District Court and the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike

In commemoration of the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee held two panel discussions related to City of Memphis v. King, litigation over Dr. King's right to march with striking sanitation workers. The 50th anniversary memorial event, “An Attempt to Strike the March,” was held in April 2018 in the University of Memphis law school.

On Wednesday, April 3, 1968, Judge Bailey Brown conducted the first of two hearings concerning the demonstration.  The city of Memphis sought a temporary restraining order from Judge Brown on April 3, alleging that violence would surely ensue.  In response, King’s attorneys asserted that the march was protected by the First Amendment.  In a second hearing the following day, city witnesses ultimately conceded that the march would likely be safer with King’s presence.  Post-hearing, Judge Brown advised that he would authorize a second march subject to safety conditions.  King died later that evening at 6:01 p.m. Transcripts from April 3 and April 4 hearings are available here.

Judge Brown signed a court order the next day authorizing the march.  On April 8, King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, led thousands of mourners through the streets of Memphis.  Per Judge Brown’s order, the grieving marchers walked in rows of six, guided by United States Marshals.  No violence ensued.

To learn more about "An Attempt to Strike the March" event, as well as the history underlying the event, please click here.

Closing Remarks

Judge John T. Fowlkes closed the event with closing remarks.

 

At the River I Stand - Movie Clip

To help set the stage for the legal proceedings discussed by the panelists that day, attendees watched a short excerpt from the documentary At the River I Stand.

 

Opening Remarks - U.S. District Judge John T. Fowlkes

District Judge John T. Fowlkes delivered opening remarks to the guests:

 

Opening Remarks - U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman

District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman delivered opening remarks to the guests:

 

The Lawyers - A Panel Discussion

The Honorable Bernice Bouie Donald, a United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, moderated a panel between the attorneys for the plaintiff, City of Memphis, and the defendants, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., et al. Mr. Frierson Graves, Sr. participated on behalf of the plaintiff, and Messrs. Walter L. Bailey, Jr., W. J. Michael Cody, and Charles F. Newman participated on behalf of the defendants.

 

The Witnesses for Dr. King

As part of the April 4 hearing, Judge Brown took testimony from multiple defensive witnesses. Two of these witnesses, Ambassador Andrew Jackson Young, Jr. and The Revered James Morris Lawson, Jr., participated in a panel moderated by Professor Otis L. Sanford, University of Memphis.

 

Welcome - Chief U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson

Chief United States District Judge S. Thomas Anderson welcomed the crowd: