How could that be? A lawyer who loves the law— in the classical sense and in upbringing, finds it a duty, his job morally and ethically to defend the innocent as a member of the Court in his county. That’s not hard to grasp. A duty to the law and to the client, above and beyond any allegiance or historical familial bond to a political organization. We don’t have those type of lawyers anymore— pretty much anywhere, but especially not in our divine “gubmint”. They used to be called statesmen.
Most people now have a really warped idea of the South during the 50s.
My Father served on a jury in DeFuniak Springs in the 50s. It was a trial of a Black man accused of carrying a concealed weapon which was a knife.
During the trial in which he had no lawyer, he denonstrated how he used the knife to open cans with. He was a hobo.
Now the knife was technically a concealed weapon but totally understandable. Daddy and most of the jurors were what would be called racists today.
Despite that they had no desire to see an innocent man go to jail and they found him not guilty.