Congressman Al Green Lauds Supreme Court Decision on Tolan Case

(Houston, TX)—On May 12, 2014, Congressman Al Green joined local elected officials and community leaders at a press conference held by the Tolan family. The press conference was held to speak out on the Supreme Court’s  favorable decision and announce Benjamin Crump, the attorney for the Trayvon Martin family, as the Tolan family’s new attorney.

On May 5, 2014, the Supreme Court ordered the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider the civil suit of Robert Tolan, who was shot on his porch by a police officer on New Year’s Eve 2008. The Tolan family argued in a civil suit that, among other things, Robert Tolan’s civil rights were violated when he, unarmed in his driveway, was shot by a police officer.

“I agree with the Supreme Court that it is important that this case be reviewed again. The circumstances of this case, the shooting of an unarmed young man in his parents’ yard, are deeply troubling and raise many questions. I trust that after a just review, a jury will be able to sort through the facts and  come to a just resolution.”