Thurgood Marshall (1908–1993)

Thurgood Marshall: Early Years

Thurgood Marshall: The NAACP Years

Thurgood Marshall: On the Bench

Justice Thurgood Marshall was the first African American appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States. His service there was the capstone on an already noteworthy legal career in which he led the NAACP’s battle against segregation, especially in schools. It was his argument on behalf of the plaintiffs that led to the Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling. Later, as an associate justice himself, he often raised an eloquent voice on behalf of equity.

Paul Green

See also Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka; Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and Equal Educational Opportunities

Further Readings

• Bland, R. W. (2001). Justice Thurgood Marshall: Crusader for liberalism, his judicial biography (1908–1993). Bethesda, MD: Academic Press.
• Davis, M. D., & Clark, H. R. (1992). Thurgood Marshall: Warrior at the bar, rebel on the bench. New York: Carol.
• Smith, J. C. (2003). Supreme justice: Speeches and writings. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
• Williams, J. (1998). Thurgood Marshall: American revolutionary. New York: Random House.

Legal Citations

• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka I, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka II, 349 U.S. 294 (1955).
• Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896).