In the 1908 case of Thomas v. State of Texas, the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a matter concerning racial discrimination in jury selection. The appellant, Thomas, an African American man convicted for murder by an all-white jury in Texas state court argued that his Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated due to systematic exclusion of black individuals from the grand and petit juries. However, the Supreme Court rejected this argument stating that there was no evidence proving such systemic exclusion or discrimination against African Americans in selecting jurors within Brazos County where he was tried. Therefore, it upheld his conviction ruling that mere allegations without substantial proof do not suffice to establish violation of equal protection clause under Fourteenth Amendment.

In the dissenting opinion for Thomas v. State of Texas, it was argued that the defendant's constitutional rights were violated due to a lack of proper legal representation during his trial. The dissenting justices believed that this violation was significant enough to warrant a new trial. They contended that every citizen has an undeniable right to be represented by counsel in court proceedings and any breach of this fundamental principle undermines the integrity of the judicial process and compromises justice itself. Furthermore, they maintained that if such violations are allowed without redress or correction, it sets a dangerous precedent which could potentially erode public trust in the judiciary system as well as infringe upon individual liberties protected under law.