The lawsuit that brought down the Klan

Posted on July 10, 2016

MichaelDonaldIn 1981, two young Klansmen in Alabama murdered 19-year-old Michael Donald. The violent incident was sparked by a call from Alabama leaders of the Ku Klux Klan who were outraged by the mistrial of an accused cop killer. The jury failed to reach a verdict in the trial of a black man accused or killing a white Birmingham police sergeant.

Inspired by the call for retribution, Henry Hays and James “Tiger” Knowles abducted, tortured and killed Michael Donald, who was in no way connected with the police shooting. Donald was targeted by the Klansmen simply because of race.

Hays and Knowles were convicted of the murder, but attorney Morris Dees sought to hold the Klan itself responsible for the killing. Representing the family of Michael Donald, Dees took the Klan to civil court.

“Dees, the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, invented a new kind of legal theory that was able to bring down the Klan,” says Laurence Leamer. “This legal theory they used, they used again and again, so you don’t have these big racist white supremacist organizations any more.”

Leamer is the author of “The Lynching: The Epic Courtroom Battle That Brought Down the Klan.” He discussed the Dees lawsuit, and his book on The Steve Fast Show.

Listen to the interview: Laurence Leamer on The Steve Fast Show

Follow Steve Fast on Twitter @SteveFastShow

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