Obama Cheers ‘Jena 6′ Ruling

ABC News’ Jonathan Greenberger reports: In a written statement tonight, Sen. Barack Obama cheered the decision earlier today by a Louisiana court to overturn the battery conviction of a black teenager.

Presidential candidates don’t often release statements on the actions of state courts in individual convictions, but this case is unusual. While it has gone largely unnoticed by much of the mainstream media, for African-Americans, the so-called "Jena 6" case became something of a cause celebre that brought back memories of the Jim Crow era.

In the small town of Jena, La., six black teenagers were charged first with attempted murder, then battery, after their actions in a schoolyard brawl left a white teenager with a black eye and concussion. The first of the six teens to be tried was convicted in July of aggravated battery and faced up to 15 years in jail. He was due to be sentenced later this month, and it was his conviction that was overturned by a Louisiana appeals court today.

Many African-American leaders, including former presidential candidates Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, had spoken out vigorously about the case, complaining that the charges against the black teens were excessive.

"The case plays to the fears of many blacks," Sharpton told USA Today earlier this month. "You hear the stories from your parents and grandparents, but you never thought it would happen in 2007. I think what resonates in the black community is that this is so mindful of pre-1960 America."

Until this week, Obama had been much more cautious on the case. When asked about it on Sept. 5 at a campaign event in Storm Lake, Ia., Obama, who appeared visibly uncomfortable by the question, said the teens "appear to have been railroaded into a very difficult situation," but he would not say what remedy he hoped to see in the case.

"My staff is right now looking into the details of the case to see potentially what role the federal government would have in sorting through and in providing justice there," Obama said.

But yesterday, Obama stepped up his rhetoric, releasing a statement calling the case a "tragedy" and asked for the district attorney to drop what he called "the excessive charges brought in this case."

And today, when the conviction was overturned, Obama released a statement cheering the decision, saying he is pleased by the court’s ruling.

"I hope that today’s decision will lead the prosecutor to reconsider the excessive charges brought against all the teenagers in this case," said Obama. "And I hope that the judicial process will move deliberately to ensure that all of the defendants will receive a fair trial and equal justice under the law."