On October 2nd 1967, Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993) was sworn in as the first African American associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He served from October 1967 until October 1991. Marshall was the Court’s 96th justice and was known for opposing discrimination and the death penalty, and for championing free speech and civil liberties. Before becoming a judge, Marshall was a lawyer who was best known for his high success rate in arguing before the Supreme Court and for the victory in Brown v. Board of Education, a decision that desegregated public schools.
