Thurgood Marshall bust to replace bust of author of racist Dred Scott ruling

The House voted Wednesday for a bust of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice, to replace one of the chief justices who wrote the racist 1857 Dred Scott decision denying Black Americans citizenship.

The House passed legislation by voice vote that directs the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library to remove a marble bust from near the entrance to the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capitol of the former Chief Justice Roger Taney and replace it with one of Marshall.

The bill passed in the Senate last week and will be sent to President Biden’s desk to sign into law. A more expansive version that included the removal of other statues was approved by the House last year but stalled in the Senate.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) introduced the legislation in 2020.

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), who reintroduced the bill last year, tweeted that while "it's important to know our past, we ought not place those who sought to divide our nation in a place of honor."

"I'm pleased a bust of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice, whose commitment to civil rights and the advancement of our most marginalized communities, will be placed in the Capitol to represent the principles of democracy & freedom we cherish today," he added.

[SOURCE: AXIOS]

New trailer for Thurgood Marshall movie: MARSHALL

Before MLK Jr. and Malcom X, there was Marshall.

Long before he sat on the United States Supreme Court or claimed victory in Brown v. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) was a young rabble-rousing attorney for the NAACP. The new motion picture, MARSHALL, is the true story of his greatest challenge in those early days – a fight he fought alongside attorney Sam Friedman (Josh Gad), a young lawyer with no experience in criminal law: the case of black chauffeur Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown), accused by his white employer, Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson), of sexual assault and attempted murder.

The film is directed by Reginald Hudlin release date is October 13, 2017. Watch the trailer below.

Clarence Thomas was not snubbed by the National Museum of African American History & Culture

By George L. Cook III African American Reports.

Many conservative websites have locked onto this narrative that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has somehow been snubbed by not being included at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Now according to these sites we should all be outraged by this and demand that Thomas be included in the museum. They would have everyone believe that Thomas was not included because of his conservative beliefs and that most black people simply don't like the man (Okay that last part is true, but not why he wasn't included). But there are a few things they fail to mention.

Clarence Thomas is not the first black Supreme Court Justice, that would be the legend, Thurgood Marshall. So other than making it to the bench what has Thomas done to deserve an exhibit at the museum? He is considered a mediocre jurist at best and it's big news when the man ask a question during a hearing. You don't get an exhibit for being a bump on a log.

What's also not mentioned is that Thurgood Marshall is in the museum but not as a Supreme Court justice but for his work in civil rights. The museum does not currently have an exhibit on the Supreme Court.

Linda St. Thomas, chief spokesperson for the Smithsonian Institution, made this statement about Thomas’ exclusion:

“There are many compelling personal stories about African-Americans who have become successful in various fields, and obviously, Associate Justice Thomas is one of them,” said spokeswoman Linda St.Thomas. “However, we cannot tell every story in our inaugural exhibitions.” There is no exhibit on the Supreme Court or the justice system, the museum notes.

The late Justice Thurgood Marshall was featured in the museum because of his work on landmark civil-rights cases such as Brown v. Board of Education, according to the museum.

So you see Thomas couldn't have been excluded from the museum as there is no exhibit for him to have been excluded from.

By George L. Cook III African American Reports.