Just noticed this on Josh Marshal’s site, so I thought I’d better throw this together quickly so we can all have a drink tonight to the memory of a great American. From Wikipedia:
Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American jurist and the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Before becoming a judge, he was a lawyer who was best remembered for his high success rate in arguing before the Supreme Court and for the victory in Brown v. Board of Education.
Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 2, 1908. His original name was Thoroughgood but he shortened it to Thurgood in second grade. His father, William Marshall, instilled in him an appreciation for the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law. Additionally, as a child, he was punished for his school misbehavior by being forced to read the Constitution, which he later said piqued his interest in the document. Marshall was a descendant of slaves.
Some thoughts from Kia Franklin of the Drum Major Institute and TortDeform.com…
What a man! What a man! What a Justice! What a Justice! A Gem!!! RIP thoroughly good person! ~ M
How nice to offer this tribute to a most
Thuro(ly)good man!
This post caused me to do some extra reading about this Justice I admired so tremendously. Brown vs. Board of Educatation was the phenomenal legal achievement to which most associate Thurgood Marshall, but how about his argument that the right to an education should be regarded as a “fundamental” constitutional right, and that state policies that have the effect of discriminating on the basis of wealth should be subject to especially searching judicial scrutiny?
I am impressed that you acknowledged this courageous and remarkable American’s birthday. Thank you.