Constance Baker Motley
#244,672 Most Popular
About
Remembered for her civil rights activism and particularly for her legal work on the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, this attorney and judge was also the first woman of African descent to serve in the New York State Senate.
Before Fame
After attending both Fisk University and New York University, she earned a law degree from Columbia University.
Trivia
In 2003, she received the NAACP's prestigious Spingarn Medal.
Family Life
The daughter of Caribbean immigrant parents, she grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, with eleven siblings. She later married businessman and fellow New York University graduate Joel Wilson Motley, Jr.
Associated With
She was appointed by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson to the U.S. District Court of New York's Southern District, making her the first female, African-American judge to preside over a federal court.
