Constance Baker Motley | |
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![]() Motley in 1964 | |
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | |
In office September 30, 1986 – September 28, 2005 | |
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | |
In office May 31, 1982 – September 30, 1986 | |
Preceded by | Lloyd Francis MacMahon |
Succeeded by | Charles L. Brieant |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | |
In office August 30, 1966 – September 30, 1986 | |
Appointed by | Lyndon B. Johnson |
Preceded by | Archie Owen Dawson |
Succeeded by | Kimba Wood |
Borough President of Manhattan | |
In office February 23, 1965 – August 30, 1966 | |
Preceded by | Edward R. Dudley |
Succeeded by | Percy Sutton |
Member of the New York Senate from the 21st district | |
In office February 4, 1964 – February 23, 1965 | |
Preceded by | James Lopez Watson |
Succeeded by | Jeremiah B. Bloom |
Personal details | |
Born | Constance Baker September 14, 1921 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
Died | September 28, 2005 (aged 84) New York City, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Joel Motley Jr. (m. 1946) |
Children | 1 |
Education | |
Constance Baker Motley (née Baker; September 14, 1921 – September 28, 2005) was an American jurist and politician who served as a Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
A key strategist of the civil rights movement, she was state senator, and Borough President of Manhattan in New York City before becoming a United States federal judge.[1][2] She obtained a role with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund as a staff attorney in 1946 after receiving her law degree, and continued her work with the organization for more than twenty years.[3]
She was the first Black woman to argue at the Supreme Court[4] and argued 10 landmark civil rights cases, winning nine. She was a law clerk to Thurgood Marshall, aiding him in the case Brown v. Board of Education.[5]
Motley was also the first African-American woman appointed to the federal judiciary, serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.[2]
In 1965, Motley was elected President of the Borough of Manhattan to fill a one-year vacancy. She was the first woman to hold the office.[6] As president, she authored a revitalization plan for Harlem and East Harlem, successfully fighting for $700,000 to improve these and other underserved areas of the city.[7]