United States v. Shipp
United States Supreme Court
203 U.S. 563 (1906)
- Written by Rich Walter, JD
Facts
A Tennessee state court sentenced Johnson, a Black man, to death for having raped a White woman. Johnson’s lawyer petitioned a federal circuit court for a writ of habeas corpus, arguing that the trial court had deprived Johnson of due process in several ways, for example by excluding Blacks from the jury. The circuit court denied the lawyer’s petition and remanded Johnson to the custody of Shipp (defendant), the local sheriff. However, the circuit court ordered Shipp to hold Johnson for 10 days to provide time for Johnson’s lawyer to pursue an appeal to the United States Supreme Court for review. The Court granted an appeal and ordered an extension of Johnson’s stay of execution pending the appeal’s outcome. Shipp received the Court’s order. Nevertheless, before Johnson’s appeal could be heard, Shipp facilitated Johnson’s lynch-mob seizure and murder. The Court charged Shipp with contempt. Shipp argued that federal courts lacked jurisdiction over Johnson’s case because the case presented no real constitutional question. Shipp also argued that the Court lacked jurisdiction to conduct contempt proceedings in which the Court itself was a party.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Holmes, J.)
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