Muhammad Ali

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Charge:	Draft Evasion (including Failure to Register and Failure to report for induction)
Sentence:	"5 years and $10,000 fine"
Years Imprisoned:
Year Crime:	1967
Year Convicted:	1967
Year Cleared:	1971
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Texas - Federal Case
County or Region of Crime:	Harris
City of Crime:	Houston
Result:	Judicially Exonerated
Summary of Case:	"Muhammad Ali, aka Cassius Clay, was wrongly convicted on June 20, 1967 in Houston, Texas of draft evasion. His defense was he was a conscientious objector because as a Muslim, he believed that only Allah could command him to go to war. After his jury conviction he was sentenced to five years in prison, fined $10,000 and his passport was revoked. Ali was stripped of his World Heavyweight Championship after refusing to be inducted. On June 28, 1971 the Supreme Court reversed Ali's conviction based on an improper jury instruction that didn't instruct the jury Ali could rely on his religious beliefs to assert he was a conscientious objector, and the failure of the federal government to take Ali's religious beliefs into consideration before drafting him. In Clay v. U.S., 403 U.S. 698 (1971) the Court ruled 8-0 that Ali met the three standards for conscientious objector status: he opposed war in any form, his beliefs were based on religious teaching, and his objection was sincere."
Conviction Caused By:	Improper jury instructions submitted by the judge didn't allow for objection to military induction on grounds of religious convictions. And the failure of the government to take Ali's religious beliefs into account.
Innocence Proved By:	"On June 28, 1971 the Supreme Court reversed Ali's conviction based on the failure of the federal government to take Ali's religious beliefs into consideration before drafting him."
Defendant Aided By:	Known as Cassius Clay before converting to the Black Muslim faith.
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:
Age When Released:
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Clay v. U.S., 403 U.S. 698 (1971)"
Information Location 1:
Information Source 2:	"On This Day -- Muhammad Ali Convicted of Draft Evasion, By Denis Cummings, Finding Culcinea, June 20, 2011"
Information Location 2:	http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/May-June-08/On-this-Day--Muhammad-Ali-Convicted-of-Draft-Evasion.html
Information Source 3:	NY Times
Information Location 3:	http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0620.html
Information Source 4:
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Information Source 5:
Information Location 5:
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Muhammad Ali

Charge:

Draft Evasion (including Failure to Register and Failure to report for induction)

Sentence:

"5 years and $10,000 fine"

Years Imprisoned:

Year Crime:

1967

Year Convicted:

1967

Year Cleared:

1971

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Texas - Federal Case

County or Region of Crime:

Harris

City of Crime:

Houston

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Improper jury instructions submitted by the judge didn't allow for objection to military induction on grounds of religious convictions. And the failure of the government to take Ali's religious beliefs into account.

Innocence Proved By:

"On June 28, 1971 the Supreme Court reversed Ali's conviction based on the failure of the federal government to take Ali's religious beliefs into consideration before drafting him."

Defendant Aided By:

Known as Cassius Clay before converting to the Black Muslim faith.

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

Age When Released:

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Clay v. U.S., 403 U.S. 698 (1971)"

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"On This Day -- Muhammad Ali Convicted of Draft Evasion, By Denis Cummings, Finding Culcinea, June 20, 2011"

Information Location 2:

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/May-June-08/On-this-Day--Muhammad-Ali-Convicted-of-Draft-Evasion.html

Information Source 3:

NY Times

Information Location 3:

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0620.html

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: