Remembering the Supreme Court’s first African American Justice

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Oct 12, 2015

Listen • 20:15

Remembering the Supreme Court’s first African American Justice

The life and career of Thurgood Marshall is examined by journalist and author Wil Haygood.

The life and career of Thurgood Marshall is examined by journalist and author Wil Haygood.

The book looks at the contentious rise of Marshall as the first African-American Supreme Court Justice after a lengthy Senate hearing that preceded his confirmation. Haygood also researches the major politicians and activists who played into the 20th century Civil Rights movement including President Lyndon B. Johnson, Justice J Waties Waring and North Carolina senator Sam Ervin.

Guest:

Wil Haygood, journalist and author of “Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America” (Knopf, 2015). His 2008 Washington Post article "A Butler Well Served By This Election", served as the basis for the 2013 movie, “The Butler.”

Credits