Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall's birthday, 7-2

We know this to be true - if Thurgood Marshall was still on the Supreme Court, the Voting Rights Act would still be intact. Marshall, who was born on July 2, 19...08, was a fighter who never gave up. He believed in equality, he believed in freedom, he believed that everyone had a right to be heard. He argued his point so intelligently and so eloquently that his brethren on the Court had to listen and consider his views. He stands as one of the great American heroes of the 20th century.

He is known as the attorney who ended legal segregation in the United States with his victory in the Brown v. Board of Education case, standing up for the rights of millions of ordinary Americans who, were it not for him, would have continued to be second-class citizens, unable to vote, attend state universities or share public accommodations by virtue of the color of their skin. His victory in Brown v. Board of Education paved the way for the Montgomery bus boycott that introduced the world to Dr. Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement.

But, he didn't just fight for one group, as U.S. Supreme Court justice, he championed expanded rights for every individual American -- minorities, women, and immigrants, among many others. During his quarter-century on the court, Marshall advanced freedom, opportunity and justice for all Americans, understanding that our Constitution was intended to unite us through a common set of rights and responsibilities - when one group is denied rights, then all groups are denied rights.