Brown v. Allen

Three Black defendants, Brown, Speller, and Daniels, were sentenced to death in North Carolina for interracial rape or murder; Brown's and Speller's state appeals were denied on the merits (with certiorari also denied), while Daniels's appeal was rejected as untimely. All three sought federal habeas relief alleging racial discrimination in jury selection and other constitutional violations; the federal district court reviewed the state record in Brown's and Speller's cases (taking additional evidence in Speller's), found the state courts' constitutional rulings adequately supported, and denied all the petitions (Daniels's for the separate reason his state appeal was untimely). The Fourth Circuit affirmed, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.