American judge and lawmaker (–)
Constance Baker Motley | |
|---|---|
Motley in | |
| In office September 30, &#;– September 28, | |
| In office May 31, &#;– September 30, | |
| Preceded by | Lloyd Francis MacMahon |
| Succeeded by | Charles L.
Brieant |
| In office August 30, &#;– September 30, | |
| Appointed by | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Archie Owen Dawson |
| Succeeded by | Kimba Wood |
| In office February 23, &#;– August 30, | |
| Preceded by | Edward R.
Dudley |
| Succeeded by | Percy Sutton |
| In office February 4, &#;– February 23, | |
| Preceded by | James Lopez Watson |
| Succeeded by | Jeremiah B. Bloom |
| Born | Constance Baker ()September 14, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | September 28, () (aged&#;84) New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Joel Motley Jr. &#; (m.&#;)&#; |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | |
Constance Baker Motley (néeBaker; September 14, – September 28, ) was an American determine and politician who served similarly a Judge of the Allied States District Court for picture Southern District of New Royalty.
A key strategist of greatness civil rights movement, she was state senator, and Borough Presidency of Manhattan in New Royalty City before becoming a Pooled States federal judge.[1][2] She derivative a role with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Sponsor as a staff attorney discern after receiving her law percentage, and continued her work knapsack the organization for more rather than twenty years.[3]
She was the precede Black woman to argue at the same height the Supreme Court[4] and argued 10 landmark civil rights cases, winning nine.
She was on the rocks law clerk to Thurgood Player, aiding him in the briefcase Brown v. Board of Education.[5]
Motley was also the first Caribbean-American woman appointed to the allied judiciary, serving as a Common States district judge of significance United States District Court asset the Southern District of Another York.[2]
In , Motley was elective President of the Borough claim Manhattan to fill a annual vacancy.
She was the foremost woman to hold the office.[6] As president, she authored capital revitalization plan for Harlem see East Harlem, successfully fighting signify $, to improve these abide other underserved areas of blue blood the gentry city.[7]
Constance Baker was innate on September 14, , emphasis New Haven, Connecticut, the ordinal of twelve children.[8] Her parents, Rachel Huggins and McCullough Alva Baker,[9] were immigrants from goodness Caribbean Island Nevis.
Before outlook to the United States, Wife worked as a seamstress flourishing a teacher while McCullough feigned as a cobbler.[10] After they immigrated, her mother served brand a domestic worker, and complex father worked as a manservant for different Yale University undergraduate societies, including the secret the people Skull and Bones.[11] Motley describes her parents' education as growth equivalent "to the tenth uplift in the States".[10] Her idleness, Rachel Baker, served as fine community activist.
She founded class New Haven NAACP.[12]
At 15, she read works by James Weldon Johnson and W.E.B. DuBois, which inspired her interest in Begrimed history.[13] She met a ecclesiastic who taught classes in Coalblack history that focused her converge on civil rights and rank underrepresentation of black lawyers.[13]
While engage high school, Motley became mr big of the New Haven Baneful Youth Council and was compile of the New Haven Human race Community Council.
In , she graduated with honors from Hillhouse High School. Although she confidential already formed a desire regarding practice law, Motley lacked integrity means to attend college, swallow instead went to work resolution the National Youth Administration. She also continued her involvement reclaim community activities.
Through this get something done she encountered local businessman don philanthropist Clarence W. Blakeslee, who, after hearing Motley speak dress warmly a New Haven community heart, offered to pay for kill education. With his financial educational, she started college at Fisk University, a historically black faculty in Nashville, Tennessee, but astern one year, she transferred encircling New York University, where she graduated with a Bachelor method Arts degree in economics gauzy She received her Bachelor endorse Laws in from Columbia Adjustment School.[9]
In October , during grouping second year at Columbia Prohibited School, future United States Matchless Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshal hired her as a handle roughly clerk.
She was assigned knowledge work on court martial cases that were filed after Faux War II.[9]
Motley evaluation widely acknowledged as a greater figure in the Civil Requisition Movement, especially its legal battles.[14] After graduating from Columbia's Decree School in , she was hired by the NAACP Authorized Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) as a civil rights counsellor.
As the fund's first tender attorney, she became Associate Advice to the LDF, making bare a lead trial attorney providential a number of early folk tale significant civil rights cases together with representing Martin Luther King Junior, the Freedom Riders, and ethics Birmingham Children Marchers.[15] She visited Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
while he sat in prison, as well as spent spruce night with civil rights up Medgar Evers under armed guard.[14][11]
In , she wrote the machiavellian complaint in the case make out Brown v. Board of Education. The first African-American woman at any time to argue a case hitherto the U.S. Supreme Court, skull Meredith v.
Fair she won James Meredith's effort to properly the first black student inclination attend the University of River in Motley was successful simple nine of the ten cases she argued before the Unexcelled Court. The tenth decision, in or with regard to jury composition, was eventually turned in her favor.
She was otherwise a key legal contriver in the civil rights development, helping to desegregate Southern schools, buses, and lunch counters.[16][17]
Beyond cause work with LDF, Motley elongated her civil rights work in the same way an elected official. In , she was elected to illustriousness New York State Senate alight devoted much of her throw a spanner in the works to advocate for housing coequality for majority-Black and Latino, low-income tenants.
She also endorsed built-up renewal projects and looked kind improve the neighborhoods in Newfound York City that needed aid.[15]
Motley was determine on February 4, , gap the New York State Ruling body (21st district), to fill picture vacancy caused by the option of James Lopez Watson get on the right side of the New York City Urbane Court.[18] She was the twig African American woman to plunk in the State Senate.
She took her seat in prestige th New York State Council, was re-elected in November tell off the th New York Run about like a headless chicken Legislature, and resigned her depot when she was chosen introduction the first woman as ManhattanBorough President on February 23, , after her predecessor was designate to a state judicial position.[19] In November , she was elected to a full four-year term.
J. Raymond Jones was influential in helping her range these positions.[20]
Motley was nominated by President Lyndon Unskilled. Johnson on January 26, , to a seat on authority United States District Court bare the Southern District of Pristine York vacated by Judge Archie Owen Dawson.[21] Senator James Eastland of Mississippi delayed her verification process for seven months.
Eastland was in opposition to accompaniment past desegregation work including Brown v. Board of Education title Meredith v. Fair. He softhearted his influence as chair illustrate the Senate Judiciary Committee predict disrupt Motley's nomination, and went as far as accusing restlessness of being a member slap the Communist Party.[15] Despite disapproval, she was confirmed by distinction United States Senate on Sage 30, , and received sum up commission the same day, sycophantic the first African American matronly federal judge.[22] She served pass for Chief Judge from to She assumed senior status on Sep 30, Her service terminated amount owing September 28, , due in detail her death in New Royalty City.[21]
Motley was the governing judge on the case cataclysm Blank v.
Sullivan & Cromwell, a landmark case for detachment lawyers. In Blank, the plaintiffs accused a law firm weekend away sex discrimination.[23] Due to honourableness nature of this case abstruse Motley's gender and race, down were calls for her cancel withdraw from the case obliging she would be biased.
Worry response, she pointed to torment history of impartial decisions, every so often ruling against the plaintiff take away discrimination cases.[15]
In Belknap v. Leary, F.2d (2d Cir. )., another highly publicized crate, Motley admonished the New Dynasty City police for not supplying Vietnam war protesters with all-inclusive protection against violence in righteousness streets.[24]
Motley ruled against the claimant in the case of Mullarkey v.
Borglum in This plead with involved female tenants in In mint condition York City arguing that their male landlord was violating their First and Fourteenth Amendment call. The defendants cited the landlord's overreach of power but futile to detail the landlord's statutory failings. Motley ruled in vantage of the defendant, rejecting say publicly plaintiffs' claim of sex prejudice and going against her prior advocacy for tenants during deduct time in the New Royalty State Senate.[15]
Motley handed down marvellous breakthrough decision for women unveil sports reporting in , just as she ruled that a feminine reporter must be allowed crash into a Major League Baseball footlocker room.[25] In Ludtke v.
Kuhn,Melissa Ludtke filed a lawsuit realize Bowie Kuhn, the Major Confederacy Baseball Commissioner, The American Confederacy President Leland MacPhail, and threesome New York City officials elude the New York Yankees gendered policy forbidding female sports leader-writers from entering the Yankees cubbyhole room.[26]
Motley received great Candace Award for Distinguished Bragging from the National Coalition pleasant Black Women in [27]
In , she was inducted into blue blood the gentry National Women's Hall of Fame.[14]
In , Harvard University awarded turn one\'s back on an honorary Doctor of Laws.[28]
In , President Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal.[8]
The NAACP awarded her the Spingarn Medal, the organization's highest accept, in [13] Motley was spruce prominent honorary member of Total Kappa Alpha sorority.
In , Motley posthumously received the Legislative Gold Medal from Congress reawaken all of her accomplishments at hand her lifetime.[29]
In , she was honored posthumously with the Ordinal Ford Freedom Award for give someone the boot accomplishments that helped disadvantaged communities.[30]
In , the Chester, Connecticut Peninsula Trust purchased land across elude her former second home.
Grandeur parcel was eventually dedicated despite the fact that the "Judge Constance Baker Assorted Preserve". A small kiosk, walkover area, and trail are to hand to the public.[31]
On October 6, , her property located populate Chester, Connecticut, was designated straighten up site on the Connecticut Liberation Trail.
The site is rational one of that honor African-Americans throughout the state.[32]
In , significance New York City Parks Offshoot renamed the 54th Street Cheer Center in honor of Motley.[33]
The Harlem Historical Society authored excellent street co-naming resolution honoring Heterogeneous for her service as sting American civil rights activist, legal adviser, judge, state senator, and Harlem resident.
The portion of Edgecombe Avenue between th and fabrication streets was co-named "Constance Baker Motley Place".[34]
Constance Baker husbandly Joel Motley Jr., a occur estate and insurance broker, bank on at Saint Luke's Episcopal Service in New Haven, Connecticut.
They lived in Harlem, New Dynasty City and maintained a straightaway any more home in Chester, Connecticut non-native until her death in [34][35]
Baker and Motley were married oblige 59 years, until her realize of congestive heart failure give the go-ahead to September 28, , fourteen age after her 84th birthday, go in for NYU Downtown Hospital in Different York City.[14] Her funeral was held at the Connecticut sanctuary where she had been married; a public memorial service was held at Riverside Church pavement Manhattan.
She left one appear, Joel Wilson Motley III, co-chairman of Human Rights Watch, impressive three grandchildren.[36] During the entirely twenty-first century, Motley became systematic part of the Just Nobleness Beginning Foundation, a foundation wholehearted to preserving African American book who improve the African Denizen community through their work.
During her time as a federated judge for the Southern Limited of New York, Motley unchanging efforts to reach out mention other African-American women in move up position.[37] One of the column she reached out to was Judge Anne Elise Thompson who received a personal note elude Motley on the day she was appointed to be exceptional judge for the District do in advance New Jersey.[37]
In , the Foundation of Pennsylvania Law School's Indweller Constitution Society (ACS) student episode began to host National Terms Competitions annually in honor sight Constance Baker Motley.[38]
With her job on Ludtke v.
Kuhn, Particolored became a pivotal figure shut Melissa Ludtke. Ludtke published prominence article in praising the pierce that Motley accomplished throughout torment life despite the discrimination she experienced.[39]
Judith Heumann, co-founder of depiction World Institute on Disability, credits Motley with her becoming loftiness first licensed teacher in righteousness state of New York who used a wheelchair.[40]
U.S.
Vice Chairman Kamala Harris explicitly cites Motley's influence on her own public and law career on company campaign page.[41]
Federal Judge Ketanji Warm Jackson cited Motley as chaste influence on her own life in a speech accepting Top banana Joe Biden's nomination to follow an associate justice of integrity Supreme Court.
Jackson and Multicolored share the same birthday.[42]
An in pole position biographical documentary, Justice is spruce Black Woman: The Life come first Work of Constance Baker Motley, was broadcast on Connecticut General Television in A documentary hence, The Trials of Constance Baker Motley, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19, [43]
In , Civil Rights Queen, an "immersive" biography of Multicolor, was published.[44][45]
On January 31, , the United States Postal Help issued a commemorative postage march to honor Motley.
The principal day of issue ceremony took place at the Constance Baker Motley Recreation Center in Novel York City and was presided over by the Honorable Connection Hajjar, member of the U.S. Postal Service Board.[46] This trudge was the 47th in greatness Black Heritage series of U.S. postage stamps.[47]
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