Friday, September 16, at 10 am we will hold a program that recounts the 1964 murder of Colonel Lemuel Penn by members of the KKK just days after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and explores the atmosphere of the times. After KKK members were acquitted of murder in the state court, the defendants underwent the first Federal criminal prosecution under the Civil Rights Act.
Colonel Penn, a Bronze Star recipient, was the assistant superintendent of the D.C. public school system. He had been traveling home to Washington, D.C. from Fort Benning, where he had attended reserve officer training. He was killed in north Georgia, and his death resulted in both state and federal prosecutions. This seminar will address the state trial, the federal trial, the resulting Supreme Court decision, and the implications for civil rights in general.
Our first panel will include an ethics component by Judge Phipps on the ethical dilemma of doing what is easy versus doing what is right and the importance of lawyers speaking up and taking action to effect change in our society.
4 hours of Georgia CLE credit available, including 1 ethics hour
Self-report to the State Bar:
“Reflections on the Murder of Col Lemuel Penn. September 16, 2022. Sponsored by the Georgia Court of Appeals (Laurie Kotz)
Credit available whether attend in person, watch live-stream, or watch recording later.
The Ballad of Lemuel Penn by: Edward David Anderson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eShOtiuNZWk
