On July 2, 1908, LDF founder and first Director-Counsel, and the first Black Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore. A brilliant legal mind, he won 29 of the 32 cases he argued before the Supreme Court. He died in 1993, leaving behind a legacy that earned him the nickname "Mr. Civil Rights." Before his funeral, his flag-draped casket was laid in state in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court. He was only the second justice to be given this honor.
On Friday, July 2 became Thurgood Marshall Day in Maryland with signed proclamations from Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (article available here).
“Thurgood Marshall was a formidable and transformational figure in the history of this country,” said Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals Robert M. Bell during a news conference. “Thurgood Marshall moved this country closer to the more perfect union which the Founding Fathers envisioned.”