Calling the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall one of his legal heroes, U.S. District Judge Victor Bolden of Connecticut said he’s proud to have worked for the same organization as Marshall: as counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc.

Bolden, who as of this month has served six years on the federal bench based in Bridgeport, said he learned a lot from Marshall’s career, as well as his time with the civil rights organization. Bolden served as assistant counsel from 1994 to 2000 and then as general counsel from 2005 to 2009.