Famous Trials: Weaponizing the Criminal Justice System Against Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tuesday, September 30, 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Pioneer Bank, 1450 Adams St., Mankato

On December 1,1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery City bus to a white person. Parks arrest and prosecution led to the years-long Montgomery Bus Boycott. A young preacher, Martin Luther King Jr. headed the Montgomery Improvement Association which organized the boycott. By February the boycott was having a financial impact on the city. To blunt the boycott's effect, the city indicted Martin Luther King Jr. and 88 others for interfering in the lawful operation of business. Represented by Fred Gray and a team of Montgomery attorneys, King contested his prosecution.

Governor John Patterson, a vocal segregationist, angry at the outcome of the boycott, had King investigated for income tax evasion. In 1960, the state of Alabama tried Martin Luther King, Jr. for income tax evasion. This little known but spiteful prosecution's purpose was to bring down the civil rights leader.

Presenter:

• James Fleming

James practiced law in Minnesota for 35 years before his recent retirement, 22 of those years as a public defender. He served as the chief public defender for the 15 counties of the Fifth Judicial District in southwest Minnesota, based in Mankato, and later for the Second Judicial District (Ramsey County).

Sponsor:

• Larry Nicol