S. 2784 — Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025

This section states congressional findings on the life and achievements of Constance Baker Motley, including her civil rights litigation with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (e.g., as the only female attorney on the Brown v. Board of Education legal team and arguing 10 cases before the Supreme Court), her political service as the first African-American woman elected to the New York State Senate (1964) and as Manhattan Borough President (1965), and her federal judgeship as the first African-American woman confirmed to such a position on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (1966), where she later served as Chief Judge (1982) before assuming senior status (1986) and passing away in 2005.

This section authorizes the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a Congressional Gold Medal of appropriate design to commemorate Constance Baker Motley's contributions and service to the United States. The Secretary of the Treasury shall strike the medal bearing her image and name; it shall be presented to her son, Joel Motley III, and niece, Constance Royster, after which it shall be given to her son.

This section authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.

This section designates medals struck under this Act as (1) national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code, and (2) numismatic items for purposes of section 5134 of title 31, United States Code. (Thus, such medals are subject to rules governing national medals, and receipts from their production and sale are deposited into the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund to support related Mint operations without fiscal year limitation.)

This section authorizes the use of amounts from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, as necessary, to pay the costs of striking medals under this Act and requires deposit of proceeds from the sale of duplicate bronze medals into that fund.