Constance Baker Motley: Meet the first Black woman to become a federal judge in the US
- On February 4, 1964, Constance Baker Motley made history when she was elected to the New York Senate
Constance Baker Motley made history again after she became the first Black woman to be commissioned as federal judge of the US on August 30, 1966
- She served as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 1982 to 1986
- Constance Baker Motley was born on September 14, 1921
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At a time when segregation against Blacks was still rife, Constance Baker Motley, made history as the first Black woman to become a federal judge in the US on August 30, 1966.
Constance Baker Motley was the 9th of 12 children from a family with roots in the West Indies that migrated to New Haven Connecticut.
While growing, she was inspired to become a lawyer by the books she read, mostly about civil rights personalities.
On February 4, 1964, Motley, began her college career at the Fisk University and was transferred to New York University two years later, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in economics.
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Focus and determined to attain her goal of becoming a lawyer, Baker applied to Columbia Law School and was accepted into the institution in 1994, making her the first Black woman to be accepted into the school.
According to Blackhistory.com, while at Columbia Law School, Motley made contact with Thurgood Marshall, chief counsel for NAACP Legal Defence Fund and started working in his office along with her pursuit for a degree.
Her job opened several opportunities to work on prominent cases often involving desegregation.
Blackhistory.com notes that being the first Black woman to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court, Motley played a pivotal role in in the legal preparation for the 1954 Brown vs. Board
She also defended protestors who were arrested during the Freedom Rides sit-ins of the early 1960s.
On February 4, 1964, Motley made history again when she became the first woman to be elected into the New York Senate and also the first woman to hold the position of Manhattan Borough President.
However, the best was yet to come for the resilient Motley who had earned her strides through hard work.
She was appointed the first African-American woman to hold a Federal Judgeship in the United States District Court by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Motley’s unrivalled feats made headlines on major news outlets in the US and her laurels also captured attention from major people
She won nine out of ten cases argued before the Supreme Court between 1961 and 1963, and she received over 70 awards and 8 honorary degrees from various universities.
Constance Baker Motley, sadly died on September 28, 2005, from congestive heart failure.
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Meanwhile, a benevolent Ghanaian senior police officer who does not want his identify disclosed has paid the admission fee for a student nurse, Alice Bonye, who was dismissed for non-payment. of fees.
According to Crime Check TV, the senior police officer paid a huge amount of GHc 5,000.00 to enable Alice Bonye to return to school.
Crime Check TV also disclosed that Alice Bonye, who is a second year student of Tamale Nursing Training College wanted to enroll in a private nursing institution to start all over again after she served a six-month jail term for stealing money to pay her fees.
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Faces of Ghana: Meet the Ghana Police Officer who helps the poor and needy| #Yencomgh:
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Source: YEN.com.gh
