Harris puts bust of Justice Marshall in her office

Vice President Harris on Wednesday placed a bust of former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Black judge to serve on the high court, in her office, saying he was an inspiration for her law career.

According to Harris’s office, the bust is on loan from her alma mater Howard University and will be on display in her Ceremonial Office.

“Vice President Harris has pointed to Justice Thurgood Marshall as an inspiration for her professional career as a lawyer,” Harris’s office said.

During her inauguration, Marshall’s Bible was one of the two that Harris swore on.

Above the Law, which first reported that Marshall’s bust had been placed in Harris’s office, noted that the vice president recently spoke of Marshall’s influence on her career choice.

“I wanted to help people. I wanted to do that. And that was one of the reasons — including Thurgood Marshall and Charles Hamilton Houston and Constance Baker Motley — that I wanted to be a lawyer,” Harris said to the National Bar Association.

A sneak peek at @VP‘s new ceremonial addition!
“She’ll now get to have her personal hero in the office with her each day.” pic.twitter.com/lgA7MR4r0b

— Lilián Sánchez (@LilianSanchez46) September 29, 2021

The bust of Marshall was created by Black Maryland artist Randolph Craig, according to Above the Law. Craig worked in the University of Maryland Art Department and Marshall was in attendance when the bust was unveiled in 1991.