Hernandez v. Texas

Table of Contents

Hernandez v. Texas
Overview
Context
About the Author
Explanation and Analysis of the Document
Impact
Document Text

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Abstract

In the 1950s, it was common in Texas and other U.S. states to not allow Mexican Americans to serve on juries. In 1951, Pete Hernandez, a Mexican American, was convicted or murder in Jackson County, Texas, by an all-white jury. He was sentenced to life in prison for the crime. Hernandez’s lawyers appealed his conviction, arguing that by excluding Mexican Americans from the jury, the state had violated their client’s Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection.

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