Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshallwas an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving from October 1967 until October 1991. Marshall was the Court's 96th justice and its first African-American justice...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSupreme Court Justice
Date of Birth2 July 1908
CityBaltimore, MD
CountryUnited States of America
racism-and-prejudice mistrust dissent
We must dissent from the fear.
husband jealous history
I have a lifetime appointment and I intend to serve it. I expect to die at 110, shot by a jealous husband.
fall punishment ignorant
The death penalty is no more effective a deterrent than life imprisonment... It is also evident that the burden of capital punishment falls upon the poor, the ignorant and the underprivileged members of society.
mean winning grace
We can always stick together when we are losing, but tend to find means of breaking up when we're winning. In Grace under Pressure, by Hastie, 1984.
years punishment justice
When in Gregg v. Georgia the Supreme Court gave its seal of approval to capital punishment, this endorsement was premised on the promise that capital punishment would be administered with fairness and justice. Instead, the promise has become a cruel and empty mockery. If not remedied, the scandalous state of our present system of capital punishment will cast a pall of shame over our society for years to come. We cannot let it continue.
war government rights
The government they devised was defective from the start, requiring several amendments, a civil war, and major social transformations to attain the system of constitutional government and its respect for the freedoms and individual rights, we hold as fundamental today.
freedom men black-history
The United States has been called the melting pot of the world. But it seems to me that the colored man either missed getting into the pot or he got melted down.
doors doe process
Mere access to the courthouse doors does not by itself assure a proper functioning of the adversary process.
color law race
Classifications and distinctions based on race or color have no moral or legal validity in our society. They are contrary to our constitution and laws.
thinking law
You do what you think is right and let the law catch up,
inspirational rights historical
History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure.
inspirational inspiring freedom
In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.
law democracy frozen
The process of democracy is one of change. Our laws are not frozen into immutable form, they are constantly in the process of revision in response to the needs of a changing society.
mother baby children
A child born to a Black mother in a state like Mississippi... has exactly the same rights as a white baby born to the wealthiest person in the United States. It's not true, but I challenge anyone to say it is not a goal worth working for.