Brown v. Board of Education

Brown v. Board of Education - Law Day Contest

Alex Michael

Alex Michael of Alex Spence Tag Academy received second place in the Dallas Bar Association's Law Day Essay Contest. Dr. Ray Davis is his teacher. His essay follows:

Law Day Essay

Alex Michael

The object of all courts in the world is to enforce laws and give to defendants the right to a fair trial. We need to ensure that all the courts remain fair to the following.

First, careful screening of the jury is needed to make sure that there are no biases in each member. For example, in the well known book To Kill a Mockingbird, an African American is accused of rape and arrested because he was black and accused by a white woman. In the court, each member of the jury was white and was favorable to the prosecution and not to the African American defendant, even before the trial had started. The only person favorable to the defendant was his lawyer, who gave a brilliant speech defending him. I am sure if he gave the speech today, the defendant would have won because times have changed and the juries are now more carefully chosen and mixed.

Second, ensure that the judges are not racist. What was so horrible and unfair about the case in To Kill a Mockingbird is that the judge, the highest person in the court, was racist and, like the rest, didn’t listen to most of what the defendant’s lawyer said. Like the jury, the courts should carefully interview the judges before choosing them for office. In the book mentioned earlier, the judge may not have been carefully chosen. To prevent this from happening the judge must be checked and interviewed often to make sure he or she does not have any prejudices that could affect equality. For example, a person running to be a judge would not be chosen if he or she has taken part in racist groups, such as the infamous Ku Klux Klan (KKK). I think that this is an effective way to choose good judges that will keep the courts fair.

I think that taking careful screening of the juries and judges will ensure the rights of the citizens in the court. The juries should be a mix of culture and people with different opinions and ideas. The judges should be unbiased in all races and kinds of people. These are my two ways to ensure the rights of the citizens in court.