[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 122, 110th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
[NOTE: July 16, 2008 -  [H.Con.Res.381]   THURGOOD MARSHALL--100TH
BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY RECOGNITION

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;


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122 STAT. 5198


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.

Agreed to July 16, 2008.