Marshall Takes Seat: First Black Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall had already argued 32 cases before the Supreme Court and won 29, including Brown v. Board of Education, before Lyndon Johnson nominated him to sit on the bench himself. His confirmation hearings lasted longer than any previous Supreme Court nominee's, with Southern senators grilling him for days. He was confirmed 69-11 on August 30, 1967, becoming the first Black justice in the Court's 178-year history. Over his 24-year tenure, Marshall became the Court's most consistent voice for individual rights, dissenting powerfully against the death penalty and for affirmative action. His legal career spanned the entire arc from Jim Crow to the modern civil rights framework he helped build.
October 2, 1967
59 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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