WILLIAM HAROLD COX

The defendants included the County Sheriff, a deputy, and the Imperial Wizard of the Mississippi KKK who had ordered the murders. Cox, an inveterate racist (See {637614}.), gave the two men convicted of 1st degree murder, including the Klan leader, to only 10 years, and the 2nd degree murderers were only sentenced to 3-5 years as the trial was Federal for Civil Rights violations but the judge did not even impose the maximum jail sentence.

He was reprimanded by the higher Federal Appellate Court for his overt racism and unjudicial behavior. Federal judges are appointed for life so Cox was still on the bench 4 years later when he presided over the murder trial of 3 civil rights workers. Cox, continuing his racist pattern sentenced convicted 1st and 2nd degree murderers but were only tied for civil rights violations and given the light sentence of only a few years in prison and not the maximum sentence. See {637613}.

The defendants included the County Sheriff, a deputy, and the Imperial Wizard of the Mississippi KKK who had ordered the murders. Cox, an inveterate racist (See {637614}.), gave the two men convicted of 1st degree murder, including the Klan leader, to only 10 years, and the 2nd degree murderers were only sentenced to 3-5 years as the trial was Federal for Civil Rights violations but the judge did not even impose the maximum jail sentence.

He was reprimanded by the higher Federal Appellate Court for his overt racism and unjudicial behavior. Federal judges are appointed for life so Cox was still on the bench 4 years later when he presided over the murder trial of 3 civil rights workers. Cox, continuing his racist pattern sentenced convicted 1st and 2nd degree murderers but were only tied for civil rights violations and given the light sentence of only a few years in prison and not the maximum sentence. See {637613}.