[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 381 Received in Senate (RDS)]

  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 381


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 15, 2008

                                Received

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Honoring and recognizing the dedication and achievements of Thurgood 
            Marshall on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Whereas Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 2, 1908, the 
        grandson of a slave;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall developed an interest in the Constitution and the rule 
        of law in his youth;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania with 
        honors in 1930, but was

              

 denied acceptance at the all-white University of Maryland Law School 
because he was African-American;

Whereas Thurgood Marshall attended law school at Howard University, the 
        country's most prominent black university, and graduated first in his 
        class in 1933;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall served as the legal director of the National 
        Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1940 to 
        1961;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall argued 32 cases before the Supreme Court of the United 
        States, beginning with the case of Chambers v. Florida in 1940, and won 
        29 of them, earning more victories in the Supreme Court than any other 
        individual;
Whereas, as Chief Counsel of the NAACP, Thurgood Marshall fought to abolish 
        segregation in schools and challenged laws that discriminated against 
        African-Americans;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall argued Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme 
        Court in 1954, which resulted in the famous decision declaring racial 
        segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning the 1896 
        decision in Plessy v. Ferguson;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals 
        for the Second Circuit by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, and was 
        confirmed by the United States Senate in spite of heavy opposition from 
        many Southern Senators;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall served on the United States Court of Appeals for the 
        Second Circuit from 1961 to 1965, during which time he wrote 112 
        opinions, none of which were overturned on appeal;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall was nominated as Solicitor General of the United 
        States by President Lyndon Johnson, and served as the first African-
        American Solicitor General from 1965 to 1967;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall was nominated as an Associate Justice of the Supreme 
        Court by President Johnson in 1967, and served as the first African-
        American member of the Supreme Court;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall sought to protect the rights of all Americans during 
        his 24 years as a justice on the Supreme Court;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall was honored with the Liberty Medal in 1992, in 
        recognition of his long history of protecting 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 by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) honors the dedication and achievements of Thurgood 
        Marshall;
            (2) recognizes the contributions of Thurgood Marshall to 
        the struggle for equal rights and justice in the United States; 
        and
            (3) celebrates the lifetime achievements of Thurgood 
        Marshall on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 14, 2008.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.

                               By Robert F. Reeves,

                                                          Deputy Clerk.