H.R. 5309: Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025
Sponsor
Rosa DeLauro
Democrat · CT-3
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Sep 11, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
A 9-for-10 Supreme Court record deserves the Gold Medal
Why it matters
Constance Baker Motley argued 10 civil rights cases at the Supreme Court and won 9 — including the case that put James Meredith into the University of Mississippi. She was the only woman on the Brown v. Board of Education legal team and the first Black woman ever confirmed to a federal judgeship. H.R. 5309 would award her Congress's highest civilian honor, posthumously; 196 House members are signed on so far.
The mechanics are straightforward. The Speaker of the House and the Senate's President pro tempore arrange the formal award. The Treasury Secretary strikes a gold medal — the design has to include Motley's image and an inscription of her name.
The medal would be presented to her son, Joel Motley III, and her niece, Constance Royster. The gold medal itself ultimately goes to Joel Motley III, with her broader family — three grandchildren, nieces, and nephews — recognized in the bill's findings.
The U.S. Mint can also strike bronze duplicates and sell them to collectors and the public, at a price set to cover production costs. The Mint fronts the work from its Public Enterprise Fund, a self-funded account that doesn't draw from general appropriations. Proceeds from bronze sales flow back into that same fund. The bill doesn't put a dollar figure on it, which is standard for tribute legislation.
H.R. 5309 Bill Summary
What H.R. 5309 actually does.
Constance Baker Motley would receive Congress's highest civilian honor
H.R. 5309 authorizes a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal for Motley. The bill's findings cite her record: born in 1921 in New Haven to immigrants from the Caribbean island of Nevis, she joined the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in 1946 after graduating from Columbia Law School, and fought alongside Thurgood Marshall for two decades to dismantle segregation.
The Treasury would strike a gold medal bearing her image and name
The Secretary of the Treasury designs and strikes the medal, with discretion over the emblems and inscriptions. The bill requires the design to include an image of Constance Baker Motley and an inscription of her name.
Her son and niece accept the medal on her behalf
The award would be presented to Joel Motley III, her son, and Constance Royster, her niece. The gold medal itself ultimately goes to Joel Motley III. Motley died on September 28, 2005, and is survived by her son, three grandchildren, and nieces and nephews in Connecticut and other states.
The Mint can sell bronze duplicates to the public
The Treasury Secretary may strike and sell bronze duplicate medals at a price set to cover production — labor, materials, dies, machinery, and overhead. The medals are classified as official 'national medals' and 'numismatic items' once produced, making them part of the Mint's commemorative catalog.
Congress puts a 9-for-10 Supreme Court record on the federal record
The bill's findings cite that Motley argued 10 major civil rights cases at the Supreme Court and won 9 — including the case for James Meredith against the University of Mississippi. Her one loss, Swain v. Alabama (1965), was reversed 21 years later in Batson v. Kentucky on grounds she had originally raised in Swain.
The bill memorializes a string of historic firsts
According to the bill's findings: first African-American woman elected to the New York State Senate (1964), first African-American woman and first woman to serve as Manhattan Borough President (1965), first Black woman and only the fifth woman ever confirmed to a federal judgeship (1966, appointed by President Lyndon Johnson), and Chief Judge of the Southern District of New York (1982).
Who benefits from H.R. 5309?
The Motley family
Joel Motley III (her son) and Constance Royster (her niece) receive the formal presentation. Joel Motley III ultimately keeps the gold medal. The bill also publicly recognizes her broader family — three grandchildren, nieces, and nephews in Connecticut and other states.
Historians, educators, and law students
The bill writes specific facts about Motley's career — 9 Supreme Court wins, the LDF years with Thurgood Marshall, the 1966 federal bench appointment, the 1982 elevation to Chief Judge — into U.S. law. That makes them easier to teach, easier to cite, and harder to forget.
Women and Black attorneys looking for predecessors
Motley was the first Black woman in the New York State Senate, the first woman to lead Manhattan as Borough President, and the first Black woman on the federal bench. Federal recognition matters when you're trying to trace a lineage of people who did something before you.
Collectors and the U.S. Mint
The Mint gets authority to strike and sell bronze duplicates as official numismatic items. For commemorative medal collectors, the bronze version becomes part of the sanctioned Congressional Gold Medal catalog.
Who is affected by H.R. 5309?
The Treasury Secretary
Responsible for striking the gold medal, approving a design that includes Motley's image and her name engraved on it, and running any bronze duplicate sales at a cost-covering price.
House Speaker and Senate President pro tempore
Sign off on the formal arrangements for the posthumous award presentation — the ceremonial responsibility for delivering Congress's highest civilian honor.
The U.S. Mint
Fronts production costs from its Public Enterprise Fund, a self-funded account that doesn't pull from general appropriations. Bronze duplicate sale proceeds flow back into the same fund.
The federal historical record
Congress would codify into U.S. law specific facts about Motley's life — her 1921 birth in New Haven, her 1946 Columbia law degree, her 9 Supreme Court wins, her 1966 judicial appointment, and her 1982 elevation to Chief Judge of the Southern District of New York.
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 5309 hasn't been debated on the floor yet.
This section updates when a legislator speaks about it on the floor or in committee.
HR5309 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Sep 11, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
About the Sponsor
Rosa DeLauro
Democrat, Connecticut's 3rd congressional district · 35 years in Congress
Committees: Appropriations
View full profile →
Cosponsors (196)
This bill has 196 cosponsors: 179 Democrats, 17 Republicans. Cosponsors represent 40 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, and 37 more.
Robert Aderholt
Republican · AL
Al Green
Democrat · TX
Gabe Amo
Democrat · RI
Mark Amodei
Republican · NV
Becca Balint
Democrat · VT
Nanette Barragán
Democrat · CA
Joyce Beatty
Democrat · OH
Sanford Bishop
Democrat · GA
Brendan Boyle
Democrat · PA
Shontel Brown
Democrat · OH
Salud Carbajal
Democrat · CA
André Carson
Democrat · IN
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Financial Services Committee
24 of 53 committee members cosponsored
2 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 5309 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Financial Services
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Introduced
- Sep 11, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Sep 11, 2025
Official Sources
Official Congress.gov page for the Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025, with status, text, and actions.
Congress.gov legislative search results for congressional gold medal measures, useful for context on how tribute bills are handled.
Official Library of Congress resource on Brown v. Board of Education, relevant because the bill highlights Motley's role on the legal team.
H.R. 5309 Common Questions
How many Supreme Court cases did Constance Baker Motley win?
She argued 10 major civil rights cases before the Supreme Court and won 9. Her one loss, Swain v. Alabama (1965), was effectively reversed 21 years later in Batson v. Kentucky — on grounds Motley herself had laid out in the losing Swain argument.
What was Constance Baker Motley's role in Brown v. Board of Education?
She was the only woman on the NAACP Legal Defense Fund team that won the 1954 case desegregating public schools. She had joined the LDF in 1946 after graduating from Columbia Law School and worked alongside Thurgood Marshall for two decades to dismantle segregation.
Did Constance Baker Motley represent James Meredith against Ole Miss?
Yes. The case that forced the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith in 1962 — and triggered federal troops being sent to enforce desegregation — was one of her 9 Supreme Court wins. She represented Meredith through the legal fight to integrate the university.
Was Constance Baker Motley the first Black woman federal judge?
Yes. President Lyndon Johnson appointed her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1966, making her the first African-American woman — and only the fifth woman in U.S. history — confirmed to the federal bench. She became Chief Judge of SDNY in 1982.
Who would receive the Constance Baker Motley Gold Medal under H.R. 5309?
The medal would be presented to her son, Joel Motley III, and her niece, Constance Royster. The gold medal itself ultimately goes to Joel Motley III. The U.S. Mint would also strike bronze duplicates that the public can buy.
What does a Congressional Gold Medal bill need to pass?
By House precedent, gold medal bills need 290 cosponsors — two-thirds of the chamber — before leadership schedules a floor vote. H.R. 5309 currently has 196 cosponsors. Once a gold medal bill clears that threshold and reaches the floor, it almost always passes by unanimous consent.
Who pays for the Constance Baker Motley Gold Medal?
The U.S. Mint fronts the cost from its Public Enterprise Fund, a self-funded account that doesn't draw from general appropriations. The Mint then recoups the cost by selling bronze duplicates of the medal at a price set to cover labor, materials, dies, and overhead.
Based on H.R. 5309 bill text
H.R. 5309 Bill Text
“To posthumously award a congressional gold medal to Constance Baker Motley, in recognition of her enduring contributions and service to the United States.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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