To the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court building
Essential Question:
The Supreme Court is the most powerful court in the United States. It is the only court mentioned in the Constitution. From 1789 to 1967 the only people on the court were white men. The first African American to sit on the Supreme Court was Thurgood Marshall.
Having Thurgood Marshall sit on the Supreme Court was a dream for many people. He had worked hard to improve the lives of all Americans. He had led the fight against segregation. He had protected the rights of African Americans.
Before serving on the Supreme course, Marshall became a federal court judge in 1961. In 1965, he was chosen by President Lyndon Johnson to become the Solicitor General. The Solicitor General is the lawyer for the United States government. They represent the government in cases decided by the Supreme Court.
To be a federal judge or Solicitor General a person must be approved by the United States Senate. Senators ask many questions. They read what a candidate has written about the law. They want to know if they have any bias. Thurgood Marshall won approval from the Senate both times. The only opposition was from senators of the Southern states.
Becoming a Supreme Court Justice was going to be hard. President Johnson had trust in Thurgood Marshall. He wanted the integration of the Supreme Court. But many Southern senators did not like Thurgood Marshall. They did not like his work in ending segregation. They thought he hated whites and would not be fair to them. The senators delayed meeting with him for six months.
Listen and watch the video describing Thurgood Marshall’s confirmation hearings. Be prepared with a partner to answer the questions that follow.
Work with a partner to read and discuss the following questions.
- How does a person become a Supreme Court Justice?
- Why could President Johnson have thought it was important to integrate the Supreme Court?
- Why were the Southern senators against Thurgood Marshall being a Supreme Court Justice?
- How was courage a part of the story of Thurgood Marshall reaching the Supreme Court?
- Why was Thurgood Marshall’s nomination to be a Supreme Court judge important to the United States?
- Explain how change, fairness, and equality are a part of Thurgood Marshall becoming a Supreme Court Justice.
