{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140920062212/http://butterfield.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=22&itemid=816", "Butterfield Applauds Former NC Supreme Court Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson on Appointment to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights", "2014-07-25", "2014", "2014-07", "Democrat", "House", "NC", "G. Butterfield", "B001251", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today applauded the appointment of former North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.\u00a0 As a Commissioner, Justice Timmons-Goodson will join the 8-member panel in informing the development of national civil rights policy and in enhancing enforcement of federal civil rights laws.\n\n\t\u201cJustice Patricia Timmons-Goodson possesses the experience, judgment and integrity to advance the mission of the Commission in developing sound civil rights policy and overseeing enforcement of civil rights laws,\u201d Butterfield said.\u00a0 \u201cFrom counseling clients about fair housing to advocating for the restoration of rights of ex-felons, Justice Timmons-Goodson has been committed to protecting civil and human rights throughout her entire career.\u00a0 As a former civil rights attorney and judge, I\u2019m confident that there is no person more capable or fair to join this important commission.\u201d\n\n\tJustice Timmons-Goodson began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in North Carolina, where she prosecuted cases both in District and Superior Courts.\u00a0 Subsequently, she was appointed to serve as District Court Judge by former North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt to preside over criminal, domestic, juvenile, and civil cases.\u00a0 She went on to become an Associate Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, where she served on a 12-member intermediate appellate court that ruled on nearly 1500 appeals.\u00a0 Most recently, Justice Timmons-Goodson served as the first African American female Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, and the first African American to serve on the court since Butterfield\u2019s term.\u00a0\n\n\tJustice Timmons-Goodson completed her undergraduate and law degrees at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and earned an L.L.M. from Duke University School of Law.\n\n\tThe Civil Rights Act of 1957 created the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.\u00a0 Since then, Congress has reauthorized or extended the legislation creating the Commission several times; the last reauthorization being in 1994 by the Civil Rights Commission Amendments Act of 1994.\n\n\tEstablished as an independent, bipartisan, fact-finding federal agency, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights\u2019 mission is to inform the development of national civil rights policy and enhance enforcement of federal civil rights laws.\u00a0 The Civil Rights Commission pursues its mission by studying alleged deprivations of voting rights and alleged discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice.\u00a0 The Commission plays a vital role in advancing civil rights through objective and comprehensive investigation, research, and analysis on issues of fundamental concern to the federal government and the public.\n\n\t\u00a0\n\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140920062212/http://butterfield.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=22&itemid=816"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4990102499723434, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}