The Rise Of Thurgood Marshall: Lawyer And Civil Rights Icon

Thurgood Marshall was a lawyer, civil rights activist, and associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was the first African-American member of the Supreme Court, serving from 1967 to 1991. Before his judicial service, Marshall was an attorney who fought for civil rights, leading the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He played an instrumental role in promoting racial equality during the civil rights movement, arguing a record-breaking 32 cases before the Supreme Court and winning 29 of them.

Thurgood Marshall's early life and career as a lawyer

Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Norma and William Canfield Marshall. His father worked various jobs, including as a railroad porter and a waiter, while his mother was an elementary school teacher. The family briefly moved to New York City in search of better employment opportunities but returned to Baltimore when Marshall was six years old.

Marshall was a mischievous child who frequently got into trouble for misbehaving in class. He loved to argue and was a star member of his school's debate team. He also had a knack for getting into trouble, especially with his father, with whom he had "the most violent arguments".

Marshall attended the Colored High and Training School (later renamed Frederick Douglass High School) in Baltimore, graduating with honours in 1925. He then enrolled at Lincoln University in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the oldest college for African Americans in the United States. At Lincoln, he continued his involvement in debate and joined the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in American literature and philosophy in 1930.

Due to racial segregation, Marshall was unable to attend the all-white University of Maryland Law School. Instead, he applied to and was admitted to Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. At Howard, he was mentored by Charles Hamilton Houston, a pioneering civil rights lawyer and dean of the law school. Houston encouraged his students to be social engineers and use the law as a vehicle to fight for civil rights.

Marshall graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1933, ranked first in his class, and passed the Maryland bar examination the same year. He briefly attempted to establish his own practice in Baltimore but struggled to land significant cases due to his lack of experience.

In 1934, Marshall began working for the Baltimore branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He soon joined forces with his mentor, Charles Houston, working on landmark civil rights cases. One of his first major victories came in 1935 when he successfully sued the University of Maryland for denying admission to Donald Gaines Murray, an African American applicant, due to his race. This case, Murray v. Pearson, marked the beginning of Marshall's fight against segregation.

In 1936, Marshall moved to New York City to work full-time as legal counsel for the NAACP, where he continued to take on a variety of cases challenging legalized racism and inspiring the American civil rights movement. Over the next several years, he travelled the country, defending African Americans who were often wrongly accused and fighting against segregation and Jim Crow laws in the South.

Marshall's early career as a lawyer was marked by his dedication to fighting racial inequality and promoting civil rights. He became known for both his skill as a lawyer and his passion for social justice. He played a crucial role in undermining the legal basis for de jure racial segregation and was instrumental in ending legal segregation in public schools with his landmark victory in Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

Marshall's work with the NAACP

Thurgood Marshall was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement and a lawyer who fought for civil rights. He was the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, serving from 1967 to 1991.

In 1936, Marshall joined Houston at the NAACP in New York, becoming the organisation's chief legal counsel. He worked with Houston on the segregation case of Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, which challenged the University of Missouri's law school's rejection of Lloyd Lionel Gaines's application due to his race. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, where Marshall and Houston successfully argued that Gaines had been denied an equal education.

When Houston returned to Washington in 1938, Marshall took over as special counsel of the NAACP and became director-counsel of the newly formed NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. In this role, Marshall continued to challenge segregation and fight for civil rights. He participated in several landmark Supreme Court cases, including Smith v. Allwright, Morgan v. Virginia, Shelley v. Kraemer, McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, and Sweatt v. Painter.

Marshall's approach to desegregation cases emphasised the use of sociological data to demonstrate that segregation was inherently unequal. He constantly travelled to courtrooms across the South, overseeing numerous cases and successfully challenging discriminatory practices, such as whites-only primary elections in Texas and restrictive covenants that barred Black people from buying or renting homes.

Marshall's appointment to the Supreme Court

Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, was appointed to the Court by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967. Marshall was a prominent civil rights lawyer and jurist who led the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and played a pivotal role in the movement to end racial segregation in American public schools.

The Road to the Supreme Court:

Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1908. He attended Lincoln University and the Howard University School of Law, where he excelled academically and honed his legal skills. Marshall's father, who worked as a waiter, often took him to court to observe legal proceedings, sparking his interest in the law.

Marshall's legal career began in Baltimore, where he opened a law practice and volunteered with the local NAACP chapter. He soon joined the NAACP's special counsel, Charles Hamilton Houston, in New York City, working on landmark civil rights cases. Marshall's talent as a lawyer was quickly recognised, and he became the head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the first public interest law firm dedicated to using the law to bring about societal change.

Marshall argued 32 civil rights cases before the Supreme Court, winning an impressive 29 of them. These cases included Smith v. Allwright, Morgan v. Virginia, and Shelley v. Kraemer, all of which challenged racial segregation and inequality. Marshall's approach emphasised the use of sociological data to demonstrate the inherent inequality and harm caused by segregation.

Appointment to the Supreme Court:

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Marshall to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, a prominent appellate court at the time. This appointment set Marshall on the path to the Supreme Court. Despite some delays and opposition from Southern senators due to Marshall's liberal jurisprudence, he was eventually confirmed by the Senate and took his seat on the Second Circuit.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Marshall to the position of Solicitor General, a role that is often seen as a stepping stone to the Supreme Court. Marshall's confirmation as Solicitor General further solidified his path to the nation's highest court.

In 1967, a vacancy arose on the Supreme Court when Justice Tom C. Clark announced his retirement. President Johnson, who had long wanted to appoint a non-white justice, chose Thurgood Marshall, recognising his exceptional legal career and commitment to civil rights. The public and prominent senators from both parties largely received the nomination favourably.

Marshall's nomination was not without opposition, however. During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, he faced harsh criticism from several Southern senators due to his liberal legal views. Despite this opposition, the committee recommended his confirmation, and on August 30, 1967, the Senate voted 69-11 to confirm Marshall's appointment to the Supreme Court.

Legacy:

Thurgood Marshall's appointment to the Supreme Court was a historic moment, breaking racial barriers and solidifying his place as a pivotal figure in American history. Marshall served on the Court for nearly 24 years, consistently siding with the liberal bloc and writing influential opinions that advanced civil rights and equal protection.

Marshall's impact extended beyond his time on the Court. In 1993, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton, and in 2003, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in his honour. Marshall's legacy continues to inspire and shape the ongoing struggle for equal justice under the law.

Marshall's time as a Supreme Court Justice

Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1967 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, becoming the first African-American justice. During his time on the Court, Marshall was a staunch liberal, frequently dissenting as the Court became increasingly conservative. He was in the majority during the consistently liberal Warren Court period, but after appointments by President Richard Nixon, Marshall often found himself in dissent.

Marshall's jurisprudence was pragmatic and drew on his real-world experience. He fervently opposed the death penalty, which in his view constituted cruel and unusual punishment. He supported a robust interpretation of the First Amendment, emphasising equality in his free speech opinions. Marshall also had a high regard for Warren, whom he described as "probably the greatest Chief Justice who ever lived".

Marshall consistently sided with the Supreme Court's liberal bloc, disagreeing with the notion that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the Founders' original understandings. He believed that the meaning of the Constitution was not fixed at the Philadelphia Convention and that it should be interpreted as a living document.

Marshall's most influential contribution to constitutional doctrine was his "sliding-scale" approach to the Equal Protection Clause, which called on courts to apply a flexible balancing test. He dissented in numerous cases regarding racial discrimination, criticising his colleagues for what he viewed as a lack of resolve to implement desegregation. Marshall argued that affirmative action was both necessary and constitutional, commenting that it was "more than a little ironic that, after several hundred years of class-based discrimination against Negroes, the Court is unwilling to hold that a class-based remedy for that discrimination is permissible".

Marshall supported the Warren Court's constitutional decisions on criminal law, writing the opinion of the Court in Benton v. Maryland, which held that the Constitution's prohibition of double jeopardy applied to the states. He also wrote a frequently-cited opinion regarding materiality in TSC Industries, Inc. v. Northway, Inc. and pragmatic opinions involving personal jurisdiction, such as Shaffer v. Heitner.

Marshall participated in over 3,400 cases and authored 322 majority opinions during his time on the Supreme Court. He retired in 1991 and passed away in 1993.

Marshall's legacy

Thurgood Marshall's legacy is that of a civil rights hero who helped end racial segregation and promoted various types of human rights.

Marshall was the first African-American Supreme Court justice, serving from 1967 to 1991. He was a passionate supporter of individual and civil rights, and his policies and decisions were guided by these beliefs. He is regarded as an influential figure in shaping social policies and upholding laws to protect minorities.

Before his time as a justice, Marshall was a prominent lawyer and activist, known for his skill and passion for civil rights. He was the chief counsel for the NAACP and travelled across the country, defending African Americans who were often wrongly accused. He also fought against segregation and Jim Crow laws in the South.

Marshall's most famous case was Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, where he argued that schools should not be segregated. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," and racial segregation in public schools was deemed unconstitutional. This case was a decisive blow against segregation and provided the legal foundation for the civil rights movement.

Marshall's other notable cases include:

• Chambers v. Florida (1940): Marshall successfully defended four Black men convicted of murder based on coerced confessions.
• Smith v. Allwright (1944): The Supreme Court overturned a Texas state law authorising whites-only primary elections in certain Southern states.
• Shelley v. Kraemer (1948): The Supreme Court struck down the legality of racially restrictive housing covenants.
• Sweatt v. Painter (1950): Challenged the "separate but equal" doctrine of racial segregation, setting the stage for future legislation.

Marshall's strategy of attacking racial inequality through the courts represented a pragmatic approach to pursuing racial equality. His work and legacy continue to inspire and educate, with a law school and college fund bearing his name and carrying on his mission to promote equality and justice.

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