James E. Horton was a judge in the state of Alabama. He is famous for the "Scottsboro Boys" re-trials.
The state court of Alabama had issued a death sentence over Haywood Patterson, who was accused of raping two women on a train in 1931. However, after an appeal made by the defense of Patterson, a re-trial was scheduled. Judge Horton, which was in charge of the case, decided to overturn the death sentence. Patterson would eventually get 75 years in prison as a sentence.