In re Walter McGee, George Andrews, and George Buckner, petitioners, Kansas Supreme Court case no. 22,691
Creator: Kansas. Supreme Court
Date: July term 1919
Level of Description: Item
Material Type: Government record
Call Number:
Kansas Supreme Court case no. 22,691
Unit ID: 446143
Summary: Kansas Supreme Court case no. 22,691, In re Walter McGee, George Andrews, and George Buckner, petitioners, was a challenge to Chapter 205 of the Kansas Laws of 1917. The law permitted the State Board of Health to enact a policy of quarantining men (and women), without a hearing, for the purpose of controlling the spread of venereal diseases. The Kansas State Quarantine Camp for Men, at the State Penitentiary in Lansing, was the place designated for isolating and treating the men, who were taken into custody in Topeka after being examined by the City Health Officer. Topeka passed its own version of the state law, ordinance no. 4832, in 1918, and copies of the ordinance are included in this file. The Kansas Supreme Court denied the petitioners' "application for a writ of habeas corpus" (claim that the state had detained them unlawfully) stating that the State Board of Health's actions were not unreasonable. The attorney representing the petitioners was Elisha Scott, a prominent African American attorney, whose firm later handled the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education case.
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Title (Main title): In re Walter McGee, George Andrews, and George Buckner, petitioners, Kansas Supreme Court case no. 22,691
Part of: Case Files.
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Associated materials: A notice in the Topeka Daily Capital, published on Wednesday, November 12, 1919, page 3, titled "Attack State Law: Negroes to Supreme Court to Prevent Trip to Lansing," reported that the habeas corpus proceedings were filed by Elisha Scott to prevent the three African American residents from being sent to the Lansing farm, because they were willing to pay for treatment near Topeka. It said the men were "picked up by the city in its recent vice crusade, and were declared diseased by Dr. Earle G. Brown, city health officer."
Index Terms
Creators and Contributors
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Kansas. Supreme Court
Agency Classification:
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Kansas State Agencies. Appellate Courts. Kansas Supreme Court.
