Thurgood Marshall fame as Mr. Civil Rights became even more relevant in 1960. Thurgood Marshall was asked to travel to Kenya and England to draft a constitution for The Independent Republic of Kenya. Thurgood worked hard and expediently on the Constitution. Thurgood knew whatever ideals he wanted to draft into the Kenya Constitution; he also had to include safeguard measures for the rights of the white minority. When Thurgood returned to The United States, He started to have admirations for working for a private law firm and making money, but Thurgood was intrigued about the idea of one day becoming a judge. Thurgood in 1961 met President John F. Kennedy; President Kennedy wanted to appoint Afro Americans to important positions within his office. Thurgood saw a vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals seat and Thurgood wanted the position. At that time, President Kennedy was getting constant pressure from Afro American voters, so President Kennedy with the advice of Louis Martin the president’s principle black adviser, appointed Thurgood Marshall on The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. From 1961-1965 Thurgood managed to write 112 opinions on that court, none of which were overturned on appeal. In fact, the Supreme Court eventually adopted several of his dissenting opinions as majority opinions. Thurgood Marshall overwhelming popularity with the Afro American voters grew immensely, so in 1965 President Lyndon Johnson appointed Thurgood to the U.S. Solicitor General. Thurgood while representing the government before the Supreme Court twice volunteered information about illegal wiretaps that caused the court to throw out the government’s case. Thurgood also argued one of the cases that resulted in the court voting to adopt the Miranda rule, which requires police to inform suspects of their rights. As U.S. Solitior General, Thurgood won 14 of 19 cases he argued for the government. Thurgood biggest accomplish occurred in 1967, when President Lyndon Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court. Thurgood Marshall succeeded Justice Tom Clark. President Johnson stated, “Thurgood Marshall was the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place”. Thurgood Marshall first order of business when he came to the Supreme Court in 1967, was to ask Chief Justice Earl Warren what had happen 13 years earlier to the dissent Stanley Reed never wrote in the Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas. Warren explained to Thugood that he shouldn’t worry about the case and he best left the case alone. Thurgood was amazed because every other dissent case he wanted to find, he found the case. On the court, Marshall said little during argument sessions, except to train his sarcasm on lawyers struggling through their arguments or sometimes on a fellow Justice. Thurgood was known for his dissents. Thurgood’s best-known dissent is a 63-page opinion in San Antonio school District v. Rodriquez. The court held 5-4 that the Constitution guarantee of equal protection was not violated by the property tax system, used in Texas and most other states to finance public education. Thurgood accused the majority of unsupportable acquiescence in a system that deprives children, in their earliest years of the chance to reach their full potential as citizens. Thurgood held his Justice position for twenty-four years. From 1980-1989 Thurgood health started to worsen. Thurgood was a frequent patient at various hospitals for numerous heart attacks and operations. On June 27, 1991 Thurgood Marshall (Mr. Civil Rights) retires from the Supreme Court. A reporter asks Thurgood why was he retiring. Thurgood told the reporter “I accomplish everything I possibly can in life, and now its time for my 83 year old body to rest”. On January 24, 1993 Thurgood Marshall at the age of 84, died of a massive heart attack in Maryland Bethesda Naval Hospital. Thurgood will be surely mis!

Canfield Marshal

Some topics in this essay:
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