# Emmett Till

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmett-till/229878>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 18, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmett-till/229878 "2004-02-18T22:01:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![chefIL11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmett-till/229878/1 "2004-02-18T22:01:08Z")

</div>

In the case where two men were tried for the death of Emmett Till in Mississippi, both men were found inncocent. Who tried these men? Was it the federal government or the state? Any help or info would be greatly appreciated!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmett-till/229878/2 "2004-02-18T22:21:06Z")

</div>

Here’s a jumping off point  
[http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/emmett.html](http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/emmett.html)

It was a state court. The practice of trying suspects like this in Federal court did not take hold until there was a Federal Civil Rights Act for these people to be in violation of.
