1913 Leo Frank Case: Roan’s Ruling, ADL Pardon Issue, Apr 2025 explores the trial of Leo Frank, B’nai B’rith president (1912-1914), charged with Mary Phagan’s murder, with Judge Roan’s August 25, 1913, ruling defining murder, malice, and the need for evidence beyond reasonable doubt. Roan allowed Frank’s character to generate doubt, but not to override clear guilt, with death or life options. The 1986 pardon, facilitated by ADL’s Dale Schwartz, faced challenges in the Phagan Family Newsletter (April 2025) and Mary Phagan Kean’s 2025 book, disproving Schwartz’s racial slur attribution to Roan, linked to Frank’s defense (Rosser and Arnold). Frank’s racial tactics against Jim Conley, including a poisoning attempt, are noted. The ADL, founded in 1913 as ADL of B’nai B’rith, dropped the name post-1986. This 2025 review highlights the trial’s legal and racial complexities.
