Margaret Marshall
| Margaret Marshall | |
|---|---|
| September 1, 1944 | |
 | |
| Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice | |
| Assumed office 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert P. Wilkins |
| Succeeded by | Roderick Ireland |
Margaret Hilary Marshall retired as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 2010. She was first appointed to this court in 1996 by Republican Governor William F. Weld.[1]
Education
Marshall received her undergraduate degree from Witwaterstrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1966. In 1968, she came to the United States to attend Harvard University. There she obtained her master's degree, and her J.D. from Yale Law School.[2]
Career
After graduating from Yale, Marshall joined the firm Csaplar and Bok, and later became partner. Next she ventured to Choate, Hall & Stewart, where she also performed as partner. While at that firm, she served as Vice President and General Counsel of Harvard University. She was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Court in 1996.[2][3]
State of the State Courts
Justice Marshall spoke before the House of Delegates at the ABA annual meeting on February 16, 2009 about the status of the state courts. In her talk, Justice Marshall focused on the number and complexity of cases facing state courts, the status of state court funding, and what she sees as increased politicization of the state judiciary.
Relative to budget constraints, Justice Marshall pointed out New Hampshire's recent announcement that it will halt all civil and criminal jury trials for a month. In another example, Utah dismissed all of its in-house court reporters to make its budget.
Justice Marshall focused on an apparently increased politicization of the state courts, especially as it relates to increasing amounts of money spent in state judicial races. She referenced the decision in Republican Party of Minnesota v. White (2002), suggesting it loosened restriction on judicial campaign speech and "opened a Pandora's box of difficult issues." Marshall also invoked former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, calling expensive judicial elections "the greatest single threat to judicial independence."
Justice Marshall said: "...speak up for when your state courts are underfunded... know what is happening with your state courts systems, and advocate before your legislatures and governors for adequate court funding and merit-based judicial selection."[4]
Awards and associations
- 2009 Chief Justice Edward F. Hennessey Award, Massachusetts Bar Association[5]
- 2006 Award of Merit, The Yale Law School Association[6]
External links
- Marshall's profile at Massachusetts government website
- Brandeis Hoot, "Justice Marshall speaks on social justice," April 15, 2011
- BU Today, "Advice from Chief Justice Margaret Marshall," April 6, 2010
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Massachusetts Judicial Profiles
- The Harvard Crimson "Mass. Chief Justice Recalls Childhood," March 10, 2010
- Video: NCEN.com, "Margaret Marshall on the future of the Supreme Court," March 9, 2009 (dead link)
- Legal Affairs, "A Bold Stroke," May/June 2004
- boston.com, "Massachusetts court rules ban on gay marriage is unconstitution al," November 18, 2003
- Mass Moments, "Margaret Marshall Appointed to Supreme Judicial Court," October 14, 1999
Footnotes
- ↑ Boston.com, "Margaret Marshall, author of Mass. gay marriage decision, to retire," July 21, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Supreme Judicial Court, Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, Chief Justice Margaret Marshall (ME)
- ↑ "Bar Watch Bulletin" 2/16/09
- ↑ Wicked Local, "Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, Cambridge resident, to be honored," October 14, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ Yale Law School, "Chief Justices Margaret Marshall '76, Drayton Nabers, Jr. '65, and Randall Shepard '72 Receive Yale Law School Award of Merit," October 18, 2006
