Irven Lee Dawkins, Also Known as Jack Dawkins, and Carol Thomas v. Joe M. Crevasse, Jr., Sheriff of Alachua County, Florida

Appellants were found guilty in the Circuit Court of Alachua County, Florida, of contempt of that court in connection with the publication and distribution of certain alleged inflammatory and threatening handbills in the hallway adjacent to the grand jury room of Alachua County while the grand jury was in session or during a recess. They were sentenced to terms of imprisonment and denied bond pending appeal by the Florida State Courts, including its Supreme Court. They brought habeas corpus proceedings in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, seeking their…