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Frank Murphy is the judge who presides over both Sweet trials. As a young lawyer and Democratic Party activist, Murphy wins election to the bench of Detroit’s Recorder’s Court (which is responsible for criminal prosecutions) on a promise to wrest control of the court from a conservative majority. Murphy builds a coalition of powerful Irish American interests, and he also earns support from Black and immigrant people on Detroit’s east-side wards. He’s able to appeal to so many different groups because of his promise to bring fairness, justice, and transparency to a people who desperately need a “new deal.” In the Sweet trials, Murphy strives for justice, balanced against a nuanced understanding of the political stakes in a city where the Ku Klux Klan is trying to use nativism and fearmongering to win the mayoral election. He maintains his personal popularity through the trials and their aftermaths, rising to serve as the governor-general of the Philippines, governor of Michigan, attorney general of the United States, and Justice of the Supreme Court. In these positions, he strives to advance civil rights legislation and extend of justice to all American citizens.
Frank Murphy Quotes in Arc of Justice
The Arc of Justice quotes below are all either spoken by Frank Murphy or refer to Frank Murphy. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 8
Quotes
“Above all I want them to know that they are in a court where the true ideal of justice is constantly sought. A white judge, white lawyers, and twelve white jurymen are sitting in judgment of eleven who are colored black. This alone is enough to make us fervent in our effort to do justice. I want the defendants to know that true justice does not recognize color.”
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Get LitCharts A+Not once in the many appearances that the newspapers reported did Smith defend the right of colored families to live wherever they pleased, as he had done during the July disturbances; not once did he criticize banks, insurance companies, builders, and real estate agents for hemming Negroes into Black Bottom, nor did he condemn mobs for assaulting those few who managed to break through its boundaries; not once did he talk about the Sweets, although the story was white-hot as the mayoral campaign was coming to a climax. It was a political silence, given white Detroit’s hostility to Negroes crossing the neighborhood color line, a simple act of omission—and an unrepentant sin of commission in the ongoing construction of a segregated city.
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Frank Murphy Quotes in Arc of Justice
The Arc of Justice quotes below are all either spoken by Frank Murphy or refer to Frank Murphy. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 8
Quotes
“Above all I want them to know that they are in a court where the true ideal of justice is constantly sought. A white judge, white lawyers, and twelve white jurymen are sitting in judgment of eleven who are colored black. This alone is enough to make us fervent in our effort to do justice. I want the defendants to know that true justice does not recognize color.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Unlock explanations and citation info for this and every other Arc of Justice quote.
Plus so much more...
Get LitCharts A+Not once in the many appearances that the newspapers reported did Smith defend the right of colored families to live wherever they pleased, as he had done during the July disturbances; not once did he criticize banks, insurance companies, builders, and real estate agents for hemming Negroes into Black Bottom, nor did he condemn mobs for assaulting those few who managed to break through its boundaries; not once did he talk about the Sweets, although the story was white-hot as the mayoral campaign was coming to a climax. It was a political silence, given white Detroit’s hostility to Negroes crossing the neighborhood color line, a simple act of omission—and an unrepentant sin of commission in the ongoing construction of a segregated city.
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