Congress honors civil rights pioneer Constance Baker Motley with gold medal
H.R. 5309 — Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025 · Filed by Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) · 209 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 11, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill authorizes Congress to posthumously award a gold medal to Constance Baker Motley, a pioneering civil rights lawyer and federal judge who was the first African-American woman appointed to the federal bench. The medal will be presented to her son and niece, with the Treasury Department striking the medal and authorized to sell bronze duplicates to recover costs.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative function is to authorize a posthumous congressional gold medal honoring a deceased civil rights pioneer. It contains no regulatory, appropriations, or policy provisions — purely ceremonial recognition with cost recovery through optional duplicate sales.
Who it affects
This is a non-binding commemorative measure honoring a deceased public servant whose judicial and legal career advanced civil rights protections that benefited all Americans. No citizen loses rights, pays new costs, or faces restrictions; the public record reflects recognition of a figure whose work strengthened democratic accountability and equal protection.
Named in the bill
Constance Baker Motley, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Secretary of the Treasury, United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, President Lyndon B. Johnson
Where it stands
209 cosponsors: 188 Democrats, 21 Republicans.
- Sep 11, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 11, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Financial Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (5,324 characters) on Aug 24, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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