Edward C. Lawson
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Edward C. Lawson (born 1946 or 1947) was an
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
activist, who was the respondent in the case of '' Kolender v. Lawson'', , in which the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
ruled that a California statute authorizing a police officer to arrest a person for refusing to present identification was unconstitutionally vague.


Personal life

Aside from his landmark supreme court case, very few biographical details are known about Lawson, a man described by the ''
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'' as "mysterious, even secretive". Said to the owner of a San Francisco-based business in 1982, he was reportedly a vegetarian, and claimed that he was entirely sober, refusing all drugs and alcohol. In 1993, he avoided discussing "exactly how he makes a living", only indicating that by then, he ran a business in Los Angeles and was a member of the
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.


Civil rights case

Lawson is a protagonist in ''Kolender v. Lawson'', 461 U.S. 352 (1983), a significant civil rights case. Between 1975 and 1977, while living in
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, Lawson was arrested fifteen times for violating a California law which made illegal "wander ngupon the streets" and failing to provide identity when prompted by a peace officer. He believed that his arrests were racial discrimination, noting that he was an African-American man who went for walks in his mostly white neighborhood. He challenged the constitutionality of the law in court, and in 1983 the Supreme Court ruled that the statute was unconstitutionally vague in the latitude it provided police to determine what constituted a violation. This case is of historical importance not only because the California statute was voided, but also because it is one of the few examples of an ordinary citizen successfully representing himself all the way through a U.S. District Court. By the time the case arrived at the Supreme Court, he was represented by attorney Robert H. Lynn, through the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...
. Lawson received political support at the time from prominent Black leaders including
Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American Civil rights movements, civil rights activist, Politics of the United States, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. Beginning as a ...
, activist/comedian Dick Gregory, U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters D-Los Angeles, U.S. Congressman
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D-Detroit. In 1983, Carl Stern, the ''
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'' U.S. Supreme Court reporter commented that this case was the most reported U.S. Supreme Court case that year. Stern was referring to front-page newspaper articles in ''
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'', ''
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'', ''
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'', ''
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'', ''
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'' as well as articles in ''
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'', ''
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'', ''
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'' and other news publications. Additionally, Lawson made repeated appearances on ''
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'', ''
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'', ''
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'', ''
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'', '' The Ricki Lake Show'', ''
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'', and ''
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''.
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law professor Laurence Tribe commented during an appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' that this case was the last time that the U.S. Supreme Court had decided in favor of a defendant in a civil rights case of this magnitude. California Penal Code § 647(e) was repealed by the
California Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
in 2008.


See also

* '' Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada'' * '' Kolender v. Lawson'' *
Police misconduct Police misconduct is inappropriate conduct and illegal actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. Types of misconduct include among others: sexual offences, false confession, coerced false confession, intimidation, ...
*
Racial profiling Racial profiling or ethnic profiling is the offender profiling, selective enforcement or selective prosecution based on race or ethnicity, rather than individual suspicion or evidence. This practice involves discrimination against minority pop ...
* Stop and identify statutes *
Contempt of cop "Contempt of cop" is law enforcement agency, law enforcement jargon in the United States for behavior toward law enforcement officers that the officers perceive as disrespectful or insufficiently deferential to their authority. It is a play on the ...
* Driving while black *
Henry Louis Gates arrest controversy On July 16, 2009, Harvard University professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. was arrested at his Cambridge, Massachusetts, home by local police officer Sgt. James Crowley, who was responding to a 911 caller's report of men breaking and entering ...


Notes


External links


Edward C. Lawson—official website

U.S. Supreme Court video story''Kolender v. Lawson'', 461 U.S. 352 (1983)Jon Shane, author1921 Tulsa Race Riot -- CNN2009-2011 Newark NJ
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Edward C. 1940s births Activists for African-American civil rights Year of birth missing (living people) American homelessness activists Living people