I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 657
To award posthumously a congressional gold medal to Thurgood Marshall. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 8, 2005
Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, and Mr. WOLF) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Fi-
nancial Services 
A BILL 
To award posthumously a congressional gold medal to 
Thurgood Marshall.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Thurgood Marshall, the grandson of a slave, 
was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 2, 1908. 
(2) In his youth, Thurgood Marshall developed 
an interest in the Constitution and the rule of law. 
(3) Despite graduating from Lincoln University 
in Pennsylvania in 1930 with honors, Thurgood
Marshall was denied acceptance at the all-white Uni-
versity of Maryland Law School because he was an 
African American. 
(4) Thurgood Marshall instead attended law 
school at Howard University, the country’s most 
prominent black university, and graduated first in 
his class in 1933. 
(5) From 1940 to 1961, Thurgood Marshall 
served as the legal director of the National Associa-
tion for the Advancement of Colored People 
(NAACP). 
(6) Beginning with the case of Chambers v. 
Florida in 1940, Thurgood Marshall argued 32 cases 
before the Supreme Court and won 29 of them, 
earning more Supreme Court victories than any 
other individual. 
(7) Under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, 
the NAACP fought to abolish segregation in schools 
and challenged laws that discriminated against Afri-
can Americans. 
(8) In 1954, Thurgood Marshall argued Brown 
v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court, a 
case which resulted in the famous decision that de-
clared racial segregation in public schools unconsti-
tutional, overturning the 1896 decision in Plessy v. 
Ferguson. 
(9) In 1961, President John F. Kennedy ap-
pointed Thurgood Marshall to the United States 
Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit despite heavy 
opposition from many southern Senators. 
(10) Thurgood Marshall served on the United 
States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit from 
1961–1965, during which time he wrote 112 opin-
ions, none of which was overturned on appeal. 
(11) In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson ap-
pointed Thurgood Marshall to the position of Solic-
itor General, a post he held from 1965–1967. 
(12) In 1967, President Johnson appointed 
Thurgood Marshall as the first African American 
Justice to serve on the Supreme Court. 
(13) During the 24 years he served on the Su-
preme Court, Thurgood Marshall promoted affirma-
tive action and sought protection for the rights of all 
Americans, continuing to support integration but 
also championing the rights of women, children, 
prisoners, and the homeless. 
(14) Thurgood Marshall died on January 24, 
1993 at the age of 84.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 
the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tem-
pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 
for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold 
medal of appropriate design, to the family of Thurgood 
Marshall, in recognition of the contributions of Thurgood 
Marshall to the Nation. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 
presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 
of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 
devices, and inscriptions to be determined by the Sec-
retary. 
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 
under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at 
a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, 
and the cost of the gold medal. 
SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS. 
(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck under 
this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 
of title 31, United States Code.
(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 
5134 of title 31, Unites States Code, all medals struck 
under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 
SALE. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 
authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 
Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec-
essary to pay for the costs of the medals stuck pursuant 
to this Act. 
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 
sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 
3 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 
Enterprise Fund.
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