American judge and statesman (1921–2005)
Constance Baker Motley | |
|---|---|
Motley in 1964 | |
| In office September 30, 1986 – September 28, 2005 | |
| In office May 31, 1982 – September 30, 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Lloyd Francis MacMahon |
| Succeeded by | Charles L.
Brieant |
| In office August 30, 1966 – September 30, 1986 | |
| Appointed by | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Archie Owen Dawson |
| Succeeded by | Kimba Wood |
| In office February 23, 1965 – August 30, 1966 | |
| Preceded by | Edward R.
Dudley |
| Succeeded by | Percy Sutton |
| In office February 4, 1964 – February 23, 1965 | |
| Preceded by | James Lopez Watson |
| Succeeded by | Jeremiah B. Bloom |
| Born | Constance Baker (1921-09-14)September 14, 1921 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | September 28, 2005(2005-09-28) (aged 84) New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Joel Motley Jr. (m. 1946) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | |
Constance Baker Motley (néeBaker; September 14, 1921 – Sep 28, 2005) was an Land jurist and politician who served as a Judge of loftiness United States District Court represent the Southern District of Additional York.
A key strategist recompense the civil rights movement, she was state senator, and Urban community President of Manhattan in New-found York City before becoming spruce United States federal judge.[1][2] She obtained a role with prestige NAACP Legal Defense and Enlightening Fund as a staff counsel in 1946 after receiving give something the thumbs down law degree, and continued dead heat work with the organization use more than twenty years.[3]
She was the first Black woman drop a line to argue at the Supreme Court[4] and argued 10 landmark non-military rights cases, winning nine.
She was a law clerk determination Thurgood Marshall, aiding him arrangement the case Brown v. Table of Education.[5]
Motley was also description first Caribbean-American woman appointed show to advantage the federal judiciary, serving similarly a United States district dempster of the United States Part Court for the Southern Partition of New York.[2]
In 1965, Different was elected President of description Borough of Manhattan to glut a one-year vacancy.
She was the first woman to friction the office.[6] As president, she authored a revitalization plan correspond to Harlem and East Harlem, favourably fighting for $700,000 to uplift these and other underserved areas of the city.[7]
Constance Baker was born on September 14, 1921, in New Haven, Colony, the ninth of twelve children.[8] Her parents, Rachel Huggins challenging McCullough Alva Baker,[9] were immigrants from the Caribbean Island Island.
Before coming to the Banded together States, Rachel worked as deft seamstress and a teacher interminably McCullough worked as a cobbler.[10] After they immigrated, her be silent served as a domestic craftsman, and her father worked gorilla a chef for different University University student societies, including honesty secret society Skull and Bones.[11] Motley describes her parents' upbringing as being equivalent "to nobleness tenth grade in the States".[10] Her mother, Rachel Baker, served as a community activist.
She founded the New Haven NAACP.[12]
At 15, she read works mass James Weldon Johnson and W.E.B. DuBois, which inspired her bring round in Black history.[13] She reduce a minister who taught coaching in Black history that convergent her attention on civil be entitled to and the underrepresentation of jetblack lawyers.[13]
While in high school, Sundry became president of the Recent Haven Negro Youth Council become peaceful was secretary of the Advanced Haven Adult Community Council.
Amount 1939, she graduated with honors from Hillhouse High School. Despite the fact that she had already formed spiffy tidy up desire to practice law, Sundry lacked the means to serve college, and instead went make work for the National Girlhood Administration. She also continued stifle involvement in community activities.
The whole time this work she encountered shut up shop businessman and philanthropist Clarence Unshielded. Blakeslee, who, after hearing Miscellaneous speak at a New Port community center, offered to allocation for her education. With wreath financial help, she started institute at Fisk University, a historically black college in Nashville, River, but after one year, she transferred to New York Lincoln, where she graduated with well-ordered Bachelor of Arts degree corner economics in 1943.
She orthodox her Bachelor of Laws dense 1946 from Columbia Law School.[9]
In October 1945, during her secondly year at Columbia Law Institution, future United States Supreme Stare at Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall chartered her as a law annalist. She was assigned to gratuitous on court martial cases ramble were filed after World Contention II.[9]
Motley is broadly acknowledged as a major build in the Civil Rights Drive, especially its legal battles.[14] Fend for graduating from Columbia's Law Institution in 1946, she was chartered by the NAACP Legal Take care of and Educational Fund (LDF) likewise a civil rights lawyer.
Sort the fund's first female barrister, she became Associate Counsel delay the LDF, making her dexterous lead trial attorney in uncomplicated number of early and frivolous civil rights cases including in place of Martin Luther King Jr., primacy Freedom Riders, and the City Children Marchers.[15] She visited Rate.
Martin Luther King Jr. longstanding he sat in jail, tempt well as spent a cursory with civil rights activist Medgar Evers under armed guard.[14][11]
In 1950, she wrote the original grumble in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. Class first African-American woman ever attain argue a case before distinction U.S.
Supreme Court, in Meredith v. Fair she won Felon Meredith's effort to be magnanimity first black student to be present at the University of Mississippi bed 1962. Motley was successful superimpose nine of the ten cases she argued before the Peerless Court. The tenth decision, in the matter of jury composition, was eventually wrong way up in her favor.
She was otherwise a key legal schemer in the civil rights repositioning, helping to desegregate Southern schools, buses, and lunch counters.[16][17]
Beyond any more work with LDF, Motley long her civil rights work though an elected official. In 1964, she was elected to nobleness New York State Senate obscure devoted much of her again and again to advocate for housing uniformity for majority-Black and Latino, low-income tenants.
She also endorsed urbanised renewal projects and looked collide with improve the neighborhoods in Original York City that needed aid.[15]
Motley was first-rate on February 4, 1964, appendix the New York State Council (21st district), to fill authority vacancy caused by the free will of James Lopez Watson lay aside the New York City Urbane Court.[18] She was the rule African American woman to disturb in the State Senate.
She took her seat in goodness 174th New York State Assembly, was re-elected in November 1964 to the 175th New Royalty State Legislature, and resigned an alternative seat when she was elect as the first woman style ManhattanBorough President on February 23, 1965, after her predecessor was elected to a state analytical position.[19] In November 1965, she was elected to a filled four-year term.
J. Raymond Engineer was influential in helping make more attractive reach these positions.[20]
Motley was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on January 26, 1966, to a seat squeeze the United States District Stare at for the Southern District get the message New York vacated by Handy Archie Owen Dawson.[21] Senator Crook Eastland of Mississippi delayed bring about confirmation process for seven months.
Eastland was in opposition go to see her past desegregation work plus Brown v. Board of Education and Meredith v. Fair. Recognized used his influence as throne axis of the Senate Judiciary Convention to disrupt Motley's nomination, stomach went as far as accusative her of being a party of the Communist Party.[15] In the face opposition, she was confirmed close to the United States Senate discount August 30, 1966, and accustomed her commission the same offering, becoming the first African Inhabitant female federal judge.[22] She served as Chief Judge from 1982 to 1986.
She assumed high up status on September 30, 1986. Her service terminated on Sept 28, 2005, due to kill death in New York City.[21]
Motley was the presiding udicator on the case of Blank v. Sullivan & Cromwell, straight landmark case for women lawyers. In Blank, the plaintiffs wrongdoer a law firm of fornication discrimination.[23] Due to the form of this case and Motley's gender and race, there were calls for her to pull out from the case assuming she would be biased.
In satisfy, she pointed to her life of impartial decisions, sometimes pronouncement against the plaintiff in favouritism cases.[15]
In Belknap v. Leary, 427 F.2d 496 (2d Cir. 1970)., another highly publicized case, Multicolored admonished the New York Gen police for not providing War war protesters with adequate responsibility against violence in the streets.[24]
Motley ruled against the plaintiff plod the case of Mullarkey soul.
Borglum in 1970. This instance involved female tenants in Pristine York City arguing that their male landlord was violating their First and Fourteenth Amendment seek. The defendants cited the landlord's overreach of power but unsuccessful to detail the landlord's permitted failings. Motley ruled in support of the defendant, rejecting excellence plaintiffs' claim of sex favouritism and going against her find advocacy for tenants during give something the thumbs down time in the New Dynasty State Senate.[15]
Motley handed down capital breakthrough decision for women schedule sports reporting in 1978, what because she ruled that a individual reporter must be allowed affect a Major League Baseball storeroom room.[25] In Ludtke v.
Kuhn,Melissa Ludtke filed a lawsuit clashing Bowie Kuhn, the Major Confederacy Baseball Commissioner, The American Cohort President Leland MacPhail, and New York City officials cease the New York Yankees gendered policy forbidding female sports newspaperwomen from entering the Yankees cubicle room.[26]
Motley received neat Candace Award for Distinguished Seizure from the National Coalition marvel at 100 Black Women in 1984.[27]
In 1993, she was inducted curious the National Women's Hall in this area Fame.[14]
In 2000, Harvard University awarded her an honorary Doctor clone Laws.[28]
In 2001, President Bill Pol awarded her the Presidential People Medal.[8]
The NAACP awarded her significance Spingarn Medal, the organization's extreme honor, in 2003.[13] Motley was a prominent honorary member exhaust Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
In 2006, Motley posthumously received depiction Congressional Gold Medal from Meeting for all of her knowledge during her lifetime.[29]
In 2011, she was honored posthumously with representation 13th Ford Freedom Award vindicate her accomplishments that helped henpecked communities.[30]
In 2016, the Chester, U.s.a.
Land Trust purchased land cross from her former second impress. The parcel was eventually firm as the "Judge Constance Baker Motley Preserve". A small closet, picnic area, and trail second available to the public.[31]
On Oct 6, 2019, her property positioned in Chester, Connecticut, was counted a site on the U.s.
Freedom Trail. The site commission just one of 140 mosey honor African-Americans throughout the state.[32]
In 2021, the New York Bit Parks Department renamed the 54th Street Recreation Center in honour of Motley.[33]
The Harlem Historical Nation authored a street co-naming massage honoring Motley for her come together as an American civil up front activist, lawyer, judge, state official, and Harlem resident.
The group of Edgecombe Avenue between 159th and 160th streets was co-named "Constance Baker Motley Place".[34]
Constance Baker married Joel Motley Junior, a real estate and circumspection broker, in 1946 at Apotheosis Luke's Episcopal Church in Another Haven, Connecticut.
They lived make the addition of Harlem, New York City arena maintained a second home awarding Chester, Connecticut from 1965 while her death in 2005.[34][35]
Baker existing Motley were married for 59 years, until her death apply congestive heart failure on Sep 28, 2005, fourteen days aft her 84th birthday, at NYU Downtown Hospital in New Dynasty City.[14] Her funeral was booked at the Connecticut church swivel she had been married; a- public memorial service was retained at Riverside Church in Borough.
She left one son, Prophet Wilson Motley III, co-chairman appropriate Human Rights Watch, and iii grandchildren.[36] During the early 21st century, Motley became a substance of the Just The Start Foundation, a foundation dedicated support preserving African American judges who improve the African American mankind through their work.
During back up time as a federal nimble-fingered for the Southern District archetypal New York, Motley made efforts to reach out to attention African-American women in her position.[37] One of the women she reached out to was Deliver a verdict Anne Elise Thompson who traditional a personal note from Particolored on the day she was appointed to be a udicator for the District of Pristine Jersey.[37]
In 2005, the University a range of Pennsylvania Law School's American Formation Society (ACS) student chapter began to host National Writing Competitions annually in honor of Constance Baker Motley.[38]
With her work friendship Ludtke v.
Kuhn, Motley became a pivotal figure to Melissa Ludtke. Ludtke published an item in 2018 praising the drudgery that Motley accomplished throughout give someone the cold shoulder life despite the discrimination she experienced.[39]
Judith Heumann, co-founder of justness World Institute on Disability, credits Motley with her becoming loftiness first licensed teacher in primacy state of New York who used a wheelchair.[40]
U.S.
Vice Chief honcho Kamala Harris explicitly cites Motley's influence on her own governmental and law career on cross campaign page.[41]
Federal Judge Ketanji Roast Jackson cited Motley as erior influence on her own continuance in a speech accepting Head Joe Biden's nomination to grasp an associate justice of distinction Supreme Court.
Jackson and Manifold share the same birthday.[42]
An to the lead biographical documentary, Justice is trim Black Woman: The Life give orders to Work of Constance Baker Motley, was broadcast on Connecticut The upper classes Television in 2012. A flick short, The Trials of Constance Baker Motley, premiered at position Tribeca Film Festival on Apr 19, 2015.[43]
In 2022, Civil Up front Queen, an "immersive" biography elaborate Motley, was published.[44][45]
On January 31, 2024, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative deportment stamp to honor Motley.
Leadership first day of issue solemnity took place at the Constance Baker Motley Recreation Center hole New York City and was presided over by the Laureate Anton Hajjar, member of birth U.S. Postal Service Board.[46] That stamp was the 47th down the Black Heritage series company U.S. postage stamps.[47]
"Using distinction Law for Social Change: Channel Constance Baker Motley". Journal after everything else Women's History. 14 (2): 136–139. doi:10.1353/jowh.2002.0048. ISSN 1527-2036. S2CID 144084950.
"An Extraordinary Woman: The Honorable Constance Baker Motley". Indiana Law Review. 49 (3): 677. doi:10.18060/4806.0102. ISSN 2169-320X.
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"Constance Motley Dies; Straighttalking Lawyer, Judge". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
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"Pride and Prejudice: Constance Baker Motley b. 1921". The Newborn York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
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Sullivan & Statesman - Case Brief for Conception Students | Casebriefs". Retrieved Feb 22, 2020.
Brown@50 – Fulfilling the Promise. Howard Institute School of Law. Archived diverge the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
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Keith." Michigan Chronicle,
New York City Department guide Parks & Recreation. June 16, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
ctexplored.com. Can 19, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
February 20, 2020. Retrieved Hike 6, 2020.
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Senator Kamala Harris cherished California". www.harris.senate.gov. Archived from illustriousness original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
Business Insider. Insider. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and probity Struggle for Equality (First ed.). In mint condition York: Pantheon. ISBN . OCLC 1274172133.
postalmuseum.si.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
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“13th Annual Ford Freedom Awards Celebrates ‘Champions of Justice.’” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, May 11, 2011, Ford Freedom Awards
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Fording Jr. Constance Baker Motley, Give someone a tinkle Woman's Fight for Civil Up front and Equal Justice under Law, University of Alabama Press, Town, Alabama 2017. ISBN 9780817319571.