Hispanic Heritage Month: Sonia Sotomayor

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! Visit National Archives News for resources on related records in our holdings. Today’s post comes from Callie Belback from the National Archives History Office. On August 8, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor became the third woman, the first woman of color, and the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court. President Barack Obama greets … Continue reading Hispanic Heritage Month: Sonia Sotomayor

The Fight for the Right to Marry: The Loving v. Virginia Case

February is Black History Month. Visit our website for information on related resources and virtual events. Today’s post comes from Thomas Richardson, an archives technician at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO. Civil rights encompasses a broad range of activities that engage citizens of all backgrounds—the right to vote, to lawfully assemble, … Continue reading The Fight for the Right to Marry: The Loving v. Virginia Case

Facial Hair Friday: The Honorable Thurgood Marshall

Join us today @USNatArchives on Twitter and Instagram for the #ArchivesHashtagParty #ArchivesBlackEducation. We will be sharing stories from our Rediscovering Black History blog and our online Catalog. Thurgood Marshall, 6/13/1967. (National Archives Identifier 2803441) Thurgood Marshall was leader in the struggle against racial discrimination in the United States for a good part of the 20th … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: The Honorable Thurgood Marshall

The Gridlock of Racial Segregation: When the Light Turns from Brown to Green

In celebration of Black History Month, we are taking a look at the landmark case Green v. New Kent County. Today’s post comes from Michael J. Hancock, archives technician at the National Archives at College Park, MD. There was a time when “freedom of choice” was no choice at all. After the landmark case Brown … Continue reading The Gridlock of Racial Segregation: When the Light Turns from Brown to Green

Notorious RBG at the National Archives

This year we have Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s returning to the National Archives on December 14, 2018, for our annual Bill of Rights Day naturalization ceremony. Today's post comes from Danielle Sklarew in the National Archives History Office. When Ruth Bader Ginsburg visited the National Archives on August 26, 1993—16 days after she … Continue reading Notorious RBG at the National Archives

First Woman on the Court: Sandra Day O’Connor

On August 19, 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to be nominated to the Supreme Court of the United States. Today’s post comes from Danielle Sklarew, an intern in the National Archives History Office. Four. Roughly 3.5%. That is how many women have served on the United States Supreme Court since its inception … Continue reading First Woman on the Court: Sandra Day O’Connor

The “Gerry” in Gerrymandering

Today's post comes from James Worsham, editor of publications for the National Archives. The U.S. Supreme Court this week decided not to get involved in whether certain legislative and congressional districts have been “gerrymandered”—a practice that dates to the early days of the country. The cases before the court involved a practice in which districts … Continue reading The “Gerry” in Gerrymandering