The United States Postal Service (USPS) released a new stamp in honor of Constance Baker Motley, the first African American woman to serve as a federal judge, and to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The 47th Black Heritage stamp in the USPS series features Motley with a portrait by artist Charly Palmer on a canvas work. The portrait was rendered in acrylic and has a stenciled circular shape around the head, which the USPS says suggests royalty.
Motley was also the first woman to work at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense and Educational Fund, working with future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The USPS says Motley handled about 60 cases that reached the Supreme Court between 1945 and 1965, of which she won nine.
In 1966, Motley was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She later became the court’s chief judge in 1982.
The new stamp is available at the USPS website and retail locations.
The USPS said that the Forever stamps, which are valid as long as the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price, will always be equal in value. The stamps can be purchased in panes of 20.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.
