On August 30, 1966, Constance Baker Motley became the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge when the Senate confirmed her appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Motley had broken ground two decades prior as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund's first female lawyer, where she played a crucial role in shaping the legal fight against segregation, and two years prior as the first Black woman to serve in the New York State Senate. | American Experience | PBS