III 

110TH CONGRESS 

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 


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HCON 381 RDS 

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; 


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HCON 381 RDS 

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 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) honors the dedication and achievements of 

4 Thurgood Marshall; 

5 (2) recognizes the contributions of Thurgood 

6 Marshall to the struggle for equal rights and justice 

7 in the United States; and 


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1 (3) celebrates the lifetime achievements of 

2 Thurgood Marshall on the 100th anniversary of his 

3 birth. 

Passed the House of Representatives July 14, 2008. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 

By ROBERT F. REEVES, 

Deputy Clerk. 


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