This bill would posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Constance Baker Motley to recognize her lasting contributions and service. The bill lists her life and work: born in 1921 in New Haven to parents from Nevis; earned a BA from New York University in 1943 and a law degree from Columbia in 1946; worked as a staff attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and was the only woman on that legal team in Brown v. Board of Education; argued 10 major civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, winning all but one; helped challenge the University of Mississippi’s refusal to admit James Meredith; served in elected office in New York (first African-American woman in the State Senate in 1964 and first woman president of the Borough of Manhattan in 1965); was appointed in 1966 to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (the first African-American woman and the fifth woman appointed to a federal judgeship), became Chief Judge in 1982, took senior status in 1986, and continued serving until her death on September 28, 2005. The bill authorizes the Treasury Secretary to strike a gold medal bearing her image and name, to present the medal to her son and niece, and to give the gold medal to her son. The U.S. Mint may strike and sell bronze duplicates to cover costs. The medals are designated as national medals and numismatic items under title 31, and the Mint Public Enterprise Fund may be used to pay costs and receive sale proceeds.
If enacted, this bill would create an official Congressional honor for Constance Baker Motley and authorize the Mint to produce the medal and bronze duplicates. The medal would be presented to her family. The text of the bill does not create new government programs or benefits for the public; it provides for the design, striking, presentation, and sale of medals.
The bill authorizes charging the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund for the costs of making the medals. It allows the Mint to sell bronze duplicate medals at a price sufficient to cover their cost and to deposit those proceeds into the Mint Public Enterprise Fund. No publicly available information on specific dollar amounts or total cost is provided in the bill text.
The bill’s findings describe Constance Baker Motley’s pioneering legal and public-service achievements and present the medal as recognition of her enduring contributions to civil rights, the judiciary, and public life. The sponsors introduced the bill to honor her life and service.
No publicly available information.