Civil Rights pioneer Constance Motley honored with USPS stamp

The 47th stamp of the USPS Black Heritage series will honor civil rights pioneer Constance Baker Motley.

USPS stamp for Constance Baker Motley

The stamp features a portrait of Motley by artist Charly Palmer, based on an Associated Press photograph (USPS |https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/1222ma-usps-celebrates-judiciary-trailblazer-constance-baker-motley-with-47th-black-heritage-stamp.htm)

Motley was a civil rights activist  and the first African American woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court and the first to serve as a federal judge.

A dedication ceremony will take place Wednesday, January 31, at the Constance Baker Motley Recreation Center New York, NY 10022.

Her career

Born in 1921 in New Haven, CT, Motley started her career in 1945 when she worked for the future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall at the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

From 1945 to 1965, Motley worked on about 60 cases that reached the Supreme Court. She won nine of the 10 cases she argued before the Court.

In 1966, Motley was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

She rose to chief judge in 1982 and senior judge in 1986.

Motley passed away in 2005 at 84 years old from congestive heart failure.

The stamp features a portrait of Motley by artist Charly Palmer, based on an Associated Press photograph.

For more information please visit USPS.