Virtual Parlor Chat: The Life and Legacy of Constance Baker Motley

In celebration of Black History Month, we are proud to spotlight a trailblazer with an incredible legacy: Judge Constance Baker Motley. Her life was filled with triumphs and trials as she rose to be one of the most prominent figures in the American Judicial System. Hear her story from Constance Royster, Esq., Judge Motley’s niece, and learn why the likes of former Vice President Kamala Harris, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and co-founder of the World Institute on Disability Judith Heumann have all credited Motley as an inspiration and contributor to their success. Judge Motley’s New York City home was a short distance from the Morris-Jumel Mansion and she is a proud part of the Black history of the local community.

About Judge Constance Baker Motley: Constance Baker Motley was born in Connecticut in 1921. She received her undergraduate education at New York University (class of 1943) and her law degree from Columbia Law School (class of 1946). Her career began as a Civil Rights Attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where she represented Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Freedom Riders, and other significant early Civil Rights activists in court. She also wrote the original complaint in the case of “Brown v. Board of Education” and was the first African-American woman to argue in front of the Supreme Court. Motley was also the first African-American woman to serve in the New York State Senate, the first woman to serve as Manhattan Borough President, and the first African-American woman to serve as a federal judge, presiding over many landmark cases during her tenure.