GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
1993 SESSION
RATIFIED BILL

RESOLUTION 5
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 68

A JOINT RESOLUTION HONORING THE LATE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, THURGOOD MARSHALL.

Whereas, on January 24, 1993, the nation suffered a great loss with the death of United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; and
Whereas, Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland, to William and Norma Marshall and was the great-grandson of a slave; and
Whereas, Thurgood Marshall received his undergraduate degree from Lincoln University in Lincoln, Pennsylvania, and his law degree from the Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C., where he graduated at the top of his class in 1933; and
Whereas, Thurgood Marshall became an accomplished attorney and was one of the nation's most influential lawyers; and
Whereas, Thurgood Marshall served as Chief Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund from 1938 until 1961; and
Whereas, Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American appointed to the Court of Appeals in 1961; and
Whereas, Thurgood Marshall was appointed Solicitor General of the United States in 1965; and
Whereas, Thurgood Marshall's practice before the United States Supreme Court resulted in his winning 29 of 32 cases that he argued before the Court; and
Whereas, in 1954, Thurgood Marshall argued his most famous case, Brown vs. Board of Education, which led the Supreme Court to outlaw racial segregation in the nation's public schools; and
Whereas, Thurgood Marshall's legal career culminated with his appointment to the Supreme Court on June 13, 1967, by President Lyndon B. Johnson; and
Whereas, Justice Marshall was the first African-American to serve on the Court and was a justice known for his commitment to the poor and the powerless; and
Whereas, Justice Marshall served with distinction on the Court until his retirement due to illness in 1991; and
Whereas, Justice Marshall's life has benefitted all of the citizens of North Carolina by bringing together Americans of all races; and
Whereas, whether Thurgood Marshall is remembered as an accomplished attorney, a strong civil rights advocate, or a forceful Supreme Court Justice, he will be long remembered by the many Americans whose lives he influenced;

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

Section 1.  The General Assembly honors the life and memory of Thurgood Marshall and expresses its deep appreciation for accomplishments and service he rendered to the nation and the State of North Carolina.
Sec. 2.  The General Assembly extends its deepest sympathy to the family of Thurgood Marshall.
Sec. 3.  The Secretary of State shall send a certified copy of this resolution to the family of Thurgood Marshall.
Sec. 4.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 30th day of March, 1993.

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	Dennis A. Wicker
	President of the Senate

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	Daniel Blue, Jr.
	Speaker of the House of Representatives