[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 509 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 509

  Honoring and recognizing the achievements of Thurgood Marshall and 
    encouraging Congress to award him the Congressional Gold Medal.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 30, 2004

Mr. Payne submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on 
   the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Honoring and recognizing the achievements of Thurgood Marshall and 
    encouraging Congress to award him the Congressional Gold Medal.

Whereas Thurgood Marshall, the grandson of a slave, was born in Baltimore, 
        Maryland on July 2, 1908;
Whereas in his youth, Thurgood Marshall developed an interest in the 
        Constitution and the rule of law;
Whereas despite graduating from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1930 with 
        honors, Thurgood Marshall was denied acceptance at the all-white 
        University of Maryland Law School because he was an African American;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall instead attended law school at Howard University, the 
        country's most prominent black university, and graduated first in his 
        class in 1933;
Whereas from 1940 to 1961, Thurgood Marshall served as the legal director of the 
        National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP);
Whereas beginning with the case of Chambers v. Florida in 1940, Thurgood 
        Marshall argued 32 cases before the Supreme Court and won 29 of them, 
        earning more Supreme Court victories than any other individual;
Whereas under his leadership, the NAACP fought to abolish segregation in schools 
        and challenged laws that discriminated against African Americans;
Whereas in 1954, Thurgood Marshall argued Brown v. Board of Education before the 
        Supreme Court, a case which resulted in the famous decision that 
        declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, 
        overturning the 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson;
Whereas in 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Thurgood Marshall to the 
        United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit despite heavy 
        opposition from many southern Senators;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall served on the United States Court of Appeals for the 
        2nd Circuit from 1961-1965, during which time he wrote 112 opinions, 
        none of which was overturned on appeal;
Whereas in 1965, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to the 
        position of Solicitor General, a post he held from 1965-1967;
Whereas in 1967, President Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall as the first 
        African American Justice to serve on the Supreme Court;
Whereas during the 24 years he served on the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall 
        promoted affirmative action and sought protection for the rights of all 
        Americans, continuing to support integration but also championing the 
        rights of women, children, prisoners, and the homeless; and
Whereas Thurgood Marshall died on January 24, 1993 at the age of 84: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the dedication and achievements of the late 
        Thurgood Marshall;
            (2) calls upon Americans to recognize the contributions of 
        Thurgood Marshall to the struggle for equal rights and justice 
        in the United States; and
            (3) encourages Congress to award Thurgood Marshall the 
        Congressional Gold Medal.
                                 <all>