[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 2 (Thursday, January 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E73]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THURGOOD MARSHALL COURTHOUSE BILL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 9, 1997

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
Thurgood Marshall Courthouse bill.
  I do not believe that I am exaggerating when I state that history 
will regard Justice Marshall as one of the most influential individuals 
in the fields of constitutional and civil rights law in the 20th 
century.
  Justice Marshall had a long and distinguished career as an assistant 
and later chief counsel for the NAACP. As the lead attorney in Brown v. 
Board of Education, Marshall was instrumental in convincing the Supreme 
Court to overturn the 1898 separate but equal ruling of Plessy v. 
Ferguson, and begin the process of ending discrimination in public 
education.
  As a justice of the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Second Circuit, 
Marshall wrote over 150 decisions which included support for immigrant 
rights, limiting government intrusion in illegal search and seizure, 
double jeopardy and right to privacy cases. As U.S. Solicitor General, 
Marshall won 14 of the 19 cases he presented before the Supreme Court.
  In 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first African-American 
appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. He served as an Associate Justice 
on the Court for 24 years, retiring in 1991. He left a strong legacy of 
commitment to the weak and poor in America's justice system.
  Accordingly, I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
this important legislation, which will honor the memory of Justice 
Marshall and help preserve his legacy, by designating the U.S. 
courthouse under construction in White Plains, NY, as the Thurgood 
Marshall U.S. Courthouse.

                          ____________________