Reece v. Georgia

Petitioner, Amos Reece, a Negro, was convicted of the rape of a white woman in Cobb County, Georgia. He contends here that Georgia’s rule of practice requiring him to challenge the composition of the grand jury before indictment violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed his conviction, 211 Ga. 339, 85 S. E. 2d 773, and we granted certiorari because of the important issues involved, 349 U. S. 944.

Reece was arrested on October 20, 1953, and was held in the county jail until his indictment three days later. On October 24, the day after his…