Stepping back a pace for a longer look at the heated House battle over the Administration's civil-rights bill. Minority Leader Joe Martin quickly realized that his work was cut out for him. The Southerners were concentrating their fire on a single point: the provision that a federal judge may order an end to interference with civil rights (including voting), thus also punish violators of his order for contempt of court. Bound on gutting the bill, Southern legislators rallied around an amendment taking contempt punishment out of the judge's hands and putting it in the hands of a jury. The...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
