Ikram Ali

24 October 2018

Marshall’s Law: A Reflection on Courageous Life of Thurgood Marshall

As the first African-American to serve as a Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall

has a unique Supreme Court legacy. Before his appointment, Justice Marshall was a championed

advocate for civil rights. He fiercely helped lead the civil rights revolution in the 20th century

and is seen as one of the great dismantlers of Jim Crow.

It was remarkable that the grandson of a slave eventually served as Associate Justice of

the Supreme Court of the United States.1 More so, Justice Marshall entire career was hallmarked

by the color of his skin. In 1930, Justice Marshall applied to the University of Maryland Law

School however he was denied admission because he was black.2 He instead attended Howard

University School of Law.3 Eventually Justice Marshall rose to become the Chief Counsel for the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). As Chief Counsel of

the NAACP, Justice Marshall argued 32 cases before the United States Supreme Court and

winning 29 of these cases.4 The most memorable case brought by Justice Marshall was Brown v.

Board of Education, which held that segregation violated the 14th Amendment to the

Constitution.

However, Justice Marshall didn’t just argue landmark cases in front of the highest court

in the land. In his early years as Chief Counsel for the NAACP, Justice Marshall virtually lived

from a suitcase; commuting from his home in Harlem in New York City cross country into the

1
Kramer, Victor H. "The Road to City of Berkeley: The Antitrust Positions of Justice Thurgood Marshall." Antitrust
Bull. 32 (1987): 335.
2
Brennan Jr, William J., et al. "A Tribute to Justice Thurgood Marshall." Harvard Law Review (1991): 23-76.
3
Id.
4
154 Cong. Rec. 115 (2008) (Honoring Thurgood Marshall On The 100th Anniversary Of His Birth).
racial hostile south. Traveling nearly 50,000 miles each year, Marshall was constantly taking a

train from Pennsylvania Station into Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Tennessee and other southern

states. Although he represented many plaintiffs in cases regarding segregation, equal pay and

voting rights, he spent most of his time defending innocent black men from capital punishments.

Due to the tumultuous nature of racial relations at this time, Justice Marshall was constantly

risking his life when traveling down to the south. In 1946, Justice Marshall traveled to Columbia,

Tennessee to defend a group of young black men accused of instigating a race riot. 5 After

acquittals for nearly two dozen black defendants, Justice Marshall and his colleagues feared for

their lives and quickly tried to leave town after the final verdicts were read. However, while on

the road to Nashville he was ambushed by locals and officers. The officers falsely arrested

Justice Marshall for “drunk driving”. Luckily, his NAACP associates courageously refused to

obey the orders of Columbia police officers that night and followed the sheriff's car Justice

Marshall was placed in. Justice Marshall has said that he would have been lynched if not for the

arrival of his colleagues.6

Up until his retirement from the highest court in the land, Justice Marshall dedicated his

life to legally representing to those suffering from racial injustice. Endless miles on the road

while risking his life to defend the powerless and falsely accused is the main reason Justice

Marshall is often seen as one of the most courageous lawyers in history.

5
Haygood, Wil. Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination that Changed America.
Vintage, 2015.
6
Cassie, Ron. “Justice For All: The Legacy of Thurgood Marshall.” Baltimore Magazine, 30 Aug. 2018,
www.baltimoremagazine.com/2017/8/7/justice-for-all-50-years-after-thurgood-marshall-supreme-court-
confirmation.