Judge Matthew Perry
preservation of 1 with Alexandria August · Author Alexandria August
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Show Notes
In 1956, Judge Perry pursued what would be his first civil rights case, Flemming v. South Carolina Electric and Gas Co., in which he sued a bus company after an African-American woman, Sarah Mae Flemming, was struck by a bus driver for refusing to move to the back of the bus. In another famous case, Judge Perry successfully litigated the integration of Clemson University in 1963 when Harvey B. Gantt was denied admission to the school based on race. In 1972, he won a reapportionment case, which resulted in the creation of single member legislative districts in South Carolina. As his legal career progressed, Judge Perry would eventually play a central role in almost every case that integrated South Carolina’s public schools, hospitals, golf courses, restaurants, parks, playgrounds and beaches. He individually tried more than 6,000 cases, and his work led to the release of nearly 7,000 people arrested for protesting various forms of segregation.
Catchphrase South Carolina