Constance Baker Motley

Constance Baker Motley
Walter Albertin (World Telegram & Sun); restored by Adam Cuerden · Public domain · source
Name	Constance Baker Motley
Caption	Motley in 1964
Office	Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Term start	August 30, 1966
Term end	September 28, 2005
Nominator	Lyndon B. Johnson
Predecessor	Harold R. Medina
Successor	Victor Marrero
Office1	Borough President of Manhattan
Term start1	February 23, 1965
Term end1	August 30, 1966
Predecessor1	Edward R. Dudley
Successor1	Percy Sutton
Birth date	14 September 1921
Birth place	New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Death date	28 September 2005
Death place	New York City, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Education	Fisk University, New York University (BA), Columbia Law School (LLB)
Spouse	Joel Motley Jr.

Constance Baker Motley Constance Baker Motley was an American jurist, lawyer, and politician who became a pivotal figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. As a key attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, she argued landmark cases before the Supreme Court of the United States and later became the first African American woman appointed as a federal judge. Her career exemplified a commitment to the rule of law and the principle of equal justice under it, contributing significantly to the nation's legal and social stability.

Early Life and Education

Constance Baker was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to parents who were immigrants from the Caribbean island of Nevis. Her father worked as a chef for Yale University student societies, exposing her to an academic environment from a young age. Despite facing the constraints of racial segregation and limited means, she was an avid reader and an excellent student. A transformative moment came when a local philanthropist, Clarence W. Blakeslee, impressed by a speech she gave, offered to finance her college education. She initially attended Fisk University, a historically black institution in Nashville, Tennessee, before transferring to New York University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. She then pursued her legal education at Columbia Law School, graduating in 1946.

Legal Career and NAACP

Upon graduating from law school, Constance Baker Motley began her legal career as a law clerk for Thurgood Marshall at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), often referred to simply as the Inc. Fund. She quickly became a vital member of the legal team that orchestrated the strategic litigation campaign against Jim Crow laws. Working alongside figures like Robert L. Carter and Jack Greenberg, Motley honed her skills in constitutional law and civil procedure. She was promoted to assistant counsel and later became associate counsel of the LDF, playing a central role in researching, drafting briefs, and preparing arguments for cases that would dismantle the legal framework of racial discrimination in the United States.

Landmark Civil Rights Cases

Constance Baker Motley's legal work was instrumental in some of the most significant civil rights victories in American history. She was the first African American woman to argue before the Supreme Court of the United States, and she won nine of the ten cases she presented there. Her written work contributed to the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). She personally argued the case for James Meredith's admission to the University of Mississippi, leading to the Supreme Court ruling in Meredith v. Fair (1962). She also successfully represented Hamilton E. Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault in gaining admission to the University of Georgia. Furthermore, she defended participants in the Freedom Rides and represented Martin Luther King Jr. during his 1963 imprisonment in Birmingham, Alabama. Her litigation efforts extended to securing the rights of protesters in Birmingham and Selma.

Judicial and Political Career

In 1964, Constance Baker Motley entered electoral politics, winning a seat in the New York State Senate, representing parts of Manhattan. The following year, she was appointed as the Borough President of Manhattan, becoming the first woman to hold that position. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated her to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Confirmed by the United States Senate, she became the first African American woman to serve as a federal judge. On the bench, Judge Motley was known for her meticulous preparation and judicial restraint. She presided over a wide range of cases, including those involving women's rights, free speech, and commercial law. Her tenure, which lasted until her death in 2005, was marked by a profound respect for legal precedent and the orderly administration of justice.

Legacy and Impact

Constance Baker Motley left an enduring legacy as a trailblazer in both the legal profession and American public life. Her journey from a clerk to a federal judge broke formidable barriers of both race and gender, demonstrating the capacity of American institutions to evolve. She received numerous honors, including the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP and the Presidential Citizens Medal. Her memoir, Equal Justice Under Law, details her remarkable career. The Constance Baker Motley Thurgood Marshall Fellowship at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the renaming of the federal courthouse in New York as the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, which houses the Constance Baker Motley Annex, stand as testaments to her impact. Her life's work reinforced the foundational American ideals of equality before the law and the importance of a stable, impartial judiciary in maintaining national cohesion.