Wallace v. Brewer
United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
315 F. Supp. 431 (1970)
- Written by Miller Jozwiak, JD
Facts
A group of Black Muslims (plaintiffs) formed an organization called Progressive Land Developers, Inc. (organization). The purpose of the organization was to buy farmland and then to employ Black employees and cultivate crops that could be sold to Black Muslims in cities at discounted rates. The organization successfully bought two large tracts of land in Alabama. Other residents of the county in which the land was bought became aware of the purchases. The residents then engaged in a harassment and intimidation campaign against the Black Muslims. This campaign included various legal maneuvers in an attempt to stop the farms. Eventually, some of the Black Muslims were arrested for and charged with violating an Alabama statute that required communists, Nazis, and Muslims to register as such within one day of being in the state. State officials (defendants) then attempted to enforce this law. The registration required registrants to give any information requested by the state’s department of public safety. But the statute did not define Muslim. In response to the charges, the Black Muslims sued the state (and others) for violating their First Amendment rights and sought injunctive relief stopping the state officials from enforcing this statute.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)
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