She was the ninth child in a family of 12 children. Click for even more facts or worksheets. Most Popular #156185. After serving the court as district judge for over a decade and a half, in 1982 Motley advanced to the position of Chief Justice, holding this post until 1986 with her appointment as Senior Justice. exists to justify the arrest. Her success in that capacity earned her a full four-year term in office, during which time Motley developed a program for the revitalization of Harlem and East Harlem, winning the city $700, 000 in funds to plan much-needed improvements for impoverished areas of New York City. First Name Constance #16. She decided, instead, to apply for a position as law clerk at the Legal Defense and Education Fund of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons (NAACP), a legal aid society overseen by attorney Thurgood Marshall during the years prior to his 1967 appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Representing the voice of both minorities and women during her decades as a practicing attorney, she had also addressed the rights of these same groups from her position on the U.S. District Court of New York State. Here are several striking facts about Constance Baker Motley, any one of which would make her worthy of serious study. Take a Spin! Constance Baker Motley died in New York City in September 2005. Constance Baker Motley Fans Also Viewed . Lyndon B. Johnson. Constance Baker Motley Popularity . An energetic, dedicated woman who had devoted her life to the practice of law, she had transcended many stereotypes levelled against members of her sex, earning a reputation as a somewhat uncompromising jurist with little patience for lawyers who overstep their bounds. The Board of Directors and Staff of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. mourn the loss of Judge Constance Baker Motley. Constance Baker Motley later died on 28th September 2005. Constance Baker Motley was an unlikely civil rights hero. September 14, Meet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and … Constance Baker Motley was a longtime Connecticut resident and a trailblazer for women of color. In 1954 she wrote the briefs presented to the U.S. Supreme Court arguing the plaintiff's side in Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark civil rights case that resulted in the elimination of the "separate but equal" clause that had allowed the continued segregation of many of the nation's public schools. She was promoted to the district chief judge in 1982 before ascending to the position of the senior judge four years later. As a justice on the federal judicial circuit, Motley has been privileged to hear cases involving diverse, often sophisticated points of law dealing with issues regarding the U.S. Constitution, federal statutes, and disagreements between residents of different states, many of them large corporations. Federal Judge Constance Baker Motley was born in Connecticut in 1921. Constance Baker Motley confirmed as U.S. district judge and became the first Black woman on the federal bench. Quotations by Constance Baker Motley, American Activist, Born September 14, 1921. Constance Baker was a famous legal practitioner and a civil rights activist. In 1962, she successfully argued before the Supreme Court for the admission of James Meredith, a black man, to the all-white University of Mississippi. She was appointed by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson to the U.S. District Court of New York’s Southern District, making her the first female, African-American judge to preside over a federal court. Until her last day, Baker worked as a federal judge. Constance Baker Motley elected Manhattan Borough president, the highest elective office held by a Black woman in a major American city. From law clerk to Federal Court judge, Motley … Judge Constance Baker Motley was born in New Haven and attended New Haven's public schools. This 2320 square foot multi family home has 6 bedrooms and 4.0 bathrooms. Constance Baker Motley, née Constance Baker, (born September 14, 1921, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.—died September 28, 2005, New York, New York), American lawyer and jurist, an effective legal advocate in the civil rights movement and the first African American woman to become a federal judge. 6 beds, 3 baths, 2320 sq. In 1965, on the advice of Supreme Court Justice Ramsey Clark, who had been impressed by Motley's arguments before his court, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Motley for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the bench that hears all cases arising out of the federal trial courts in Connecticut, New York, and Vermont. This Black Fact was brought to you by Master Merchant. She became the first African woman to win the seat. She was the recipient of the 1984 Candace Award from the National Coalition of One Hundred Black Women, and, in 1988, was asked to address an audience at the University of California at Los Angeles as part of the Thurgood Marshall Lecture series. In 1982 she sentenced six Croatian nationalists to prison terms of over twenty years for murder, arson, and extortion; in 1991, in Basic Books v. Kinko's Graphics Corp., the issue of copyright infringement prompted a ruling by Motley that stores that photocopy and sell excerpts of textbooks for inclusion in course packets were required to pay royalties to publishers, despite the fact that such photocopies were for educational purposes; and in 1994, in a case involving Vassar College, Motley ruled that the denial of tenure to a former biology professor was because she was married-and thus discriminatory-rather than because of poor evaluations. In tandem with her work for the NAACP, Motley began a part-time career in government as a member of the New York State Advisory Council on Employment and Unemployment Insurance, a position she held from 1958 to 1965. A 1998 portrait of U.S. District Judge Constance Baker Motley. Among Motley's tasks at the NYA was addressing topics of interest at the city's public forums. She worked as the first female attorney for the Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) of the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People (NAACP). Motley was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on September 14, 1921, the daughter of emigrants from the West Indies. The president later appointed her to the federal bench of Southern District in New York. The award held a special meaning for Motley; as she told the Columbia University Record, "My role model as a female judge was Florence Allen.". She is currently 99 years old. Her parents immigrated from Nevis, part of the British West Indies. The first black woman to graduate from Columbia University School of … She later joined New York University, where she attained a degree in Bachelor of Arts in 1943. She was called to the bar of the State of New York in 1948. However, opposition to this nomination was so vocal that Johnson withdrew Motley's name and appointed her, instead, as one of twenty-eight U.S. District judges for the Southern District of New York. Source: Blackfacts.com. She was born Sept. 14, 1921, in New Haven, Conn., the ninth of 12 children. In 1995 Motley would be the recipient of the New York Women's Bar Association's Florence E. Allen award. Enjoy the best Constance Baker Motley Quotes at BrainyQuote. Constance Baker was married to Joel Motley and was engaged in a church wedding in 1946. Debra DeBerry Clerk of Superior Court DeKalb County (September 14, 1921 – September 28, 2005) The Clerk’s Black History Series Motley became the lead trial attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and began arguing desegregation and fair housing cases across the country. Born Constance Baker in New Haven, Connecticut, the future legal … She was later reelected to succeed herself in the seat in November 1965 for her full four-year term. Columbia Law School would be next; Motley received her LL.B. Her father, McCullough Alva Baker, worked as a chef for Yale student societies, including Skull and Bones. New York Legal Aid Society attorney Caesar Cirigiano, who had filed the suit on behalf of the plaintiff, was quoted in the New York Times as calling Motley's ruling "the most important decision in the area of defendants' rights in the last ten years.". View sales history, tax history, home … Lifestyle Facts. year, on August 18, she would marry a local insurance broker named Joel W. Motley, with whom she would eventually have a son. Copyright © 2020 LoveToKnow. Motley was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on September 14, 1921, the daughter of emigrants from the West Indies. At the age of 74, Constance Baker was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and was admitted at NYU Downtown Hospital in Manhattan. In the years that followed, Motley would be asked to argue many cases involving the issues raised in Brown, appearing in state and federal courts around the country. Clarence W. Blakeslee, a philanthropist, helped Baker join Fisk University, a renowned University for black students. Take a Spin! She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1943 from New York University and her LL.B. Constance Baker's racial experience in lower primary school enabled her to develop racial awareness. Smalls, Robert (1839-1915) Barr, Epsy Campbell (1963- ) (2004) Al Sharpton, “Speech Before … In her lengthy written opinion, Motley noted that the evidence presented at trial showed a pattern of denying tenure to all women educators in the area of the sciences that extended back over three decades, and that marriage was looked upon by the college as synonymous with needing time off to raise children. The following year she was elected to the state senate in her own right, and introduced and supported legislation to establish much-needed low-and middle-in-come housing in New York's urban areas before resigning the following year to pursue another opportunity in politics. Judge Motley joined the … The American civil rights leader has been alive for 36,261 days … In 1945, even before completing her law degree at Columbia, Motley began the search for a position as a clerk in a local law firm, the typical first step in the career path of freshly minted young lawyers. 66-68. Three years later she achieved Bachelor of Laws from Columbia Law School in 1946. Motley was born to West Indian immigrants. Constance Bakers was born in New Haven on 14th September 1921. At one such forum, a talk she presented so impressed local businessman Clarence Blakeslee that he offered to put Motley through college. Thurgood Marshall, left, and Constance Baker Motley, after whom the scholarship is named. Feb. 23, 1965: Constance Baker Motley Becomes First Black Manhattan Borough President Credit: Getty Images. All Rights Reserved. In February of 1965, Motley was elected by the New York City Council to fill a one-year vacancy as president of the Manhattan borough, and she still holds the record as the only woman to yet occupy that position. Whitney Young. At the age of 74, Constance Baker was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and was admitted at NYU Downtown Hospital in Manhattan. 1921. in 1946 from Columbia University School of Law. Birthplace: New Haven, Conn. As a prominent civil rights attorney, Motley won nine of the ten cases she argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, including the 1962 case in which James Meredith won admission to the University of Mississippi. An African American who grew up near Yale University, she did not personally experience overt racism until late in high school, and as a young person she was almost totally unaware of black history. ft. multi-family (2-4 unit) located at 6 Constance Baker Motley St, New Haven, CT 06511. Virgos. Zestimate® Home Value: $238,618. 4, Macmillan Reference USA, 2006, p. 1495. Her success in the law courts saw her win nine of ten cases she took. In her line of duty, she visited Martin Luther King Junior in jail. Virgo Civil Rights Leader #20. In appreciation for her long career in the law, Motley has received many honors and accolades. They had one son Joel Wilson Motley and three grandchildren. Civil Rights Leaders. In 1982, Judge Motley was appointed Chief Judge of the Southern District of New York and held senior status since 1986. As principal legal counsel for the NAACP's Legal Defense and Education Fund, Motley was almost exclusively involved in the litigation of civil rights cases, working to end discrimination against African Americans in areas of education, housing, employment, transportation, and public accommodations. Born In 1921. Though poor, they belonged to New Haven’s black elite. Constance Baker Motley later died on 28th September 2005. Almanac of the Federal Judicial, Volume 1, 1998, pp. On 4th February 1964, Constance Baker was elected to the New York State Senate. She was the first black American woman to serve in the federal judiciary as a District Judge. Baker Motley was confirmed as a U.S. District Court judge by President Lyndon B. Johnson, making her the first Black women to be federally appointed to the federal bench. 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