African American Jurors

In 1935 at least two juries were established in Fairfax County with African American members. This was significant because Blacks were usually excluded from serving on juries in Virginia. Press reports indicated that these were the first African Americans to serve on a Fairfax County jury since 1883.

Exclusion of African Americans from juries because of their race was unconstitutional and could result in miscarriages of justice. In the 1930s two highly publicized criminal trials, the Commonwealth of Virginia v. Murphy and the Scottsboro Boys trial in Alabama, drew attention to the dangers Black defendants faced when judged by all-White juries. In Fairfax, an all-Black grand jury and a mixed-raced trial jury were established after protests from an attorney defending two African American women accused of arson.