The Law: The Seventeenth Round

Bob Dylan had been singing for it. Muhammad Ali had given speeches for it. Selwyn Raab, a New York Times reporter, had pushed for it in a series of crusading investigative articles. Finally, last week it came about: the nine-year-old murder conviction of Rubin ("Hurricane") Carter, 38, and also that of his friend John Artis, 30, was unanimously thrown out by the seven justices of the New Jersey Supreme Court. The "defendants' right to a fair trial was substantially prejudiced," said Justice Mark Sullivan, because the prosecution had failed to disclose evidence about the reliability of its two principal witnesses.

White Car....

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!