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This bill would honor civil rights leader and judge Constance Baker Motley with a Congressional Gold Medal. It recognizes her work as a lawyer with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, her role in Brown v. Board of Education, and her leadership as the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge and later as chief judge in New York’s federal trial court.
If passed, the U.S. Mint would create a gold medal with her image and name. It would be presented to her son, Joel Motley III, and her niece, Constance Royster; afterward, the medal would belong to her son. The Mint could sell bronze copies to the public, with costs paid from the Mint’s fund and sale proceeds going back into that fund. These medals would be treated as national medals and collectibles under federal law.
Key points
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Introduced September 11, 2025 by Rosa L. Delauro · Last progress September 11, 2025