It is largely symbolic by now. All the people who killed Emmett Till are long dead. But the Justice Department hopes, I would think, to prove that all the bigoted stuff they do in one part of their operations (e.g., migrant kids in jails, prosecution of people for simple marijuana possession) are suddenly offset by this attempt to find "justice." Probably the head of the KKK gave Jeff Sessions permission to finally reopen the investigation.

The trump administration is not going to let anyone innocent out of prison. This investigation was reopened because the main witness has come forward saying she lied. Evidence was wrong and reason different than given. At least that is what I remember hearing.

Post Civil War up through the 1950s there was an average of a little more than one black person per week lynched in the USA. It was a campaign of domestic terrorism perpetrated by white folks and aimed at black folks. This country has a lot to answer for.