John Crawford Anderson (August 5, 1863 – April 27, 1940) was an associate justice of theSupreme Court of Alabama from 1904 to 1914, and thenChief Justice from 1914 until his death in 1940.
Born inGreene County, Alabama, Anderson received a law degree from theUniversity of Alabama School of Law in 1883, and established a successful law practice inMarengo County, Alabama.[1] He was initially appointed to a circuit court position by GovernorWilliam C. Oates in 1895. He was elected to a newly created seat on the Alabama Supreme Court in 1904, and was elevated to Chief Justice in 1914 (succeedingJames R. Dowdell). He served in that position until his death in 1940.[2]
While Chief Justice, Anderson was the only member of the Alabama Supreme Court to dissent in theScottsboro Boys cases, a high-profile event where nine young Black men were accused and rapidly convicted of raping two White women. Anderson argued that the "overheated" nature of the proceedings and the failure to provide adequate counsel necessitated new trials for the defendants.[3] His position was later vindicated by the U.S. Supreme Court inPowell v. Alabama.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama 1914–1940 | Succeeded by |
 | ||
 | This biography of a state judge in Alabama is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
