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WHEREAS, Associate
Justice Thurgood Marshall devoted his long and distinguished life
to advancing the cause of equality and justice in the United States;
and
WHEREAS, Justice
Marshall, born the son of a Pullman waiter, rose from the ranks
of systematic racial segregation and legalized discrimination to
become one of the greatest civil rights leaders in our history;
and
WHEREAS, while
serving as Chief Counsel to the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People, Justice Marshall masterminded the legal strategy
that resulted in the dismantling of racial segregation throughout
American society; and
WHEREAS, this
strategy culminated in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education,
in which Justice Marshall argued that segregated schools were inherently
unequal, and therefore in violation of the equal protection clause
of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; and
WHEREAS, the
Supreme Court accepted Justice Marshall's arguments, and held that
racial segregation by the government is constitutionally intolerable;
and
WHEREAS, the
Supreme Court's holding in Brown v. Board of Education resulted
in the profound transformation of American legal, social, and political
life; and
WHEREAS, after
Justice Marshall's achievements at the NAACP, President Lyndon Johnson
appointed him to be the first African-American Solicitor General;
and
WHEREAS, in
1967, President Johnson appointed Justice Marshall to become the
first African-American Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, Justice
Marshall served for twenty-four distinguished years on the nation's
highest Court, and in that time demonstrated a deep and unswerving
dedication to the motto inscribed above the entrance to the Supreme
Court building: "Equal justice under law"; and
WHEREAS, in
his twenty-four years on the Supreme Court, Justice Marshall's wisdom
and sensitivity breathed the spirit of fairness and compassion into
every area of the law; and
WHEREAS, in
marking the passing of this national hero, we should renew our pledge
to eradicate discrimination from every sphere of society, and deepen
our commitment to building a society that treats every human being
with equal respect and dignity, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender,
or income; and
WHEREAS, it
is entirely fitting and proper for the Sexy真人y to mourn
the passing, and honor the memory of Thurgood Marshall, and to rededicate
ourselves to the just and moral principles to which he devoted his
life;
NOW, THEREFORE,
I, JIM FLORIO, Governor of the Sexy真人y, by virtue of
the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes,
do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
1. The flag
of the United States of America and the flag of the State of New
Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments,
offices, agencies and instrumentalities during appropriate hours
beginning on Monday, February 1, 1993 and through and including
Wednesday, February 3, 1993 in recognition and mourning of the
passing of Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall.
2. This
order shall take effect immediately.
GIVEN,
under my hand and seal this
29th day of January in the Year of Our
Lord, One Thousand Nine Hundred and
Ninety-Three, and of the Independence
of the United States, the Two Hundred
and Seventeenth.
/s/
James J. Florio
GOVERNOR
Attest:
/s/ William
Harla
Deputy Chief Counsel to the Governor
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