Charles Mahoney is a Black lawyer in Detroit. He grew up the in the only Black family in a small town in Michigan; later, as a lawyer, he establishes a reputation for fighting segregation. He joins Julian Perry and Cecil Rowlette in representing Ossian, Gladys, Otis, and Henry Sweet, John Latting, William Davis, Joe Mack, Norris Murray, Hewitt Watson, Charles Washington, and Leonard Morse. Along with Rowlette, Mahoney’s confidence in his abilities and his deep commitment to Detroit’s Black residents make him suspicious of outside influence. Because of this, he initially fights against Walter White and the NAACP’s efforts to control the defense from afar and replace the Black legal team with a high-profile white lawyer.
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Charles Mahoney Character Timeline in Arc of Justice
The timeline below shows where the character Charles Mahoney appears in Arc of Justice. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6: The Letter of Your Law
...of the Detective’s Bureau, Ossian and Hewitt Watson call their lawyers, Julian Perry and Charles Mahoney, respectively. Then, in whispers, the company agree on the story they’ll tell police about the...
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...be on the board of the Detroit NAACP chapter, picks up Watson’s call to Charles Mahoney. Rowlette and Mahoney both grew up facing discrimination and hardship but rose to the ranks...
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...day following the shootings. A liberal judge denies the motion offered by Perry, Rowlette, and Mahoney to dismiss the charges, but this forces the Prosecutor’s hand. His office presents charges to...
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Three days after the shooting, on Saturday, Perry, Rowlette, and Mahoney finally get access to their clients. The NAACP will cover all costs associated with their...
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Chapter 8: The Prodigal Son
...Darrow’s interviews with his clients give him insight into the night’s events; Perry, Rowlette, and Mahoney explain the context of the Mathies, Bristol, Fletcher, and Turner cases. Arthur Garfield Hays and...
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Chapter 10: Judgement Day
...winter sick with racking coughs, and the local defense team—Cecil Rowlette, Julian Perry, and Charles Mahoney—express frustration with Hays’s and Darrow’s defense. They think it would be safer to defend all...
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