Roderick Ireland
Roderick L. Ireland was the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He joined the court in 1997 and was sworn in on December 20, 2010, to become the court's 36th chief justice.[1] He retired on July 25, 2014, slightly before he reached the age of mandatory retirement on December 3, 2014.[2][3]
Chief Justice nomination
On November 4, 2010, Governor Deval Patrick nominated Ireland to serve as chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He was sworn in on December 20, 2010.[4] Ireland succeeded Margaret Marshall and became the first African-American to serve in the position.[5][6]
Education
Ireland received a B.A. from Lincoln University, a J.D. from Columbia University Law School and a LL.M. from Harvard Law School. He also earned a Ph.D. in Law, Policy and Society from Northeastern University.[7]
Career
- 2010-2014: Chief Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Court
- 2008-2010: Senior associate justice, Massachusetts Supreme Court
- 2001-Present: Faculty, Appellate Judges Seminar, New York University Law School
- 1997-2008: Associate justice, Massachusetts Supreme Court
- 1990-1997: Associate justice, Massachusetts Appeals Court
- 1977-1990: Judge, Boston Juvenile Court
- 1978-Present: Adjunct faculty member, Northeastern University School of Law
- 1975-1977: Assistant secretary, Chief legal counsel, Massachusetts Executive Office of Administration and Finance
- 1975: Attorney, Burnham, Stern & Shapiro
- 1974-1977: Part-time Legal counsel, Roxbury District Court Clinic
- 1973-1975: Part-time Hearing officer, Massachusetts Civil Service Commission
- 1971-1973: Chief attorney and Deputy Director, Roxbury Defenders Committee
- 1970-1971: Staff attorney, Harvard Center for Law and Education[7]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2013: President's Award, Massachusetts Judges Conference[8]
- 2001: Judicial Excellence Award, Massachusetts Bar Association and Lawyers Weekly Newspaper
- 1999: Judicial Excellence Award, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys
- 1998: St. Thomas More Award, Boston College Law School
- 1996: Judicial Excellence Award, Massachusetts Judges Conference
- 1990: Haskell Cohn Distinguished Judicial Service Award, Boston Bar Association
- 1982: Boston Covenant Peace Prize[7]
Associations
- Trustee, Suffolk University[9]
Political outlook
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Ireland received a campaign finance score of 0.26, indicating a conservative ideological leaning. This was more conservative than the average score of -0.44 that justices received in Massachusetts.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[10]
Political philosophy
While being questioned by reporters about his appointment, Ireland noted:
| “ | 'Of course, I'm aware that I'm the first person of color to be the chief. . . I'm also aware I will be the chief for everyone, not just for black citizens.'[11] -Roderick L. Ireland[12] | ” |
See also
External links
- Massachusetts Judicial Branch, Supreme Judicial Court
- Project Vote Smart, Associate Justice Roderick L. Ireland (MA)
- www.masslive.com, "Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court chief justice Roderick Ireland says state of courts 'much brighter'," October 16, 2013
- NYU Law, "Justice Roderick Ireland delivers 16th annual Breenan Lecture (VIDEO)," March 19, 2010
- www.masslive.com, "Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court makes ruling that favors people charged with drunken driving," October 17, 2009
- www.BNET.com, "Justice Roderick Ireland named Massachusetts' first black Supreme Court justice," September 1, 1997
Footnotes
- ↑ The Gov Monitor, "Massachusetts Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland Sworn In," December 20, 2010
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Governor Deval Patrick, Judicial Vacancies, Future Mandatory Retirements," accessed November 25, 2013
- ↑ Boston Globe, "Mass. chief justice to retire; Roderick Ireland made history as first black leader of Supreme Judicial Court," March 3, 2014
- ↑ Boston Globe "Ireland takes oath, becomes first black to lead Mass. high court," December 20, 2010
- ↑ Governor Deval Patrick, Press Release: Governor Patrick Announces Nomination of Esteemed Jurist as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court," November 4, 2010
- ↑ The Boston Globe, "SJC justice Ireland is Patrick's pick for chief," November 4, 2010
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Justice Roderick L. Ireland
- ↑ www.masslive.com, "SJC Chief Justice Roderick Ireland receives top award from association of judges," November 13, 2013
- ↑ Businessweek, "Company Overview of Suffolk University, Executive Profile, Roderick L. Ireland," accessed November 25, 2013
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
- ↑ www.masslive.com, "Roderick Ireland, confirmed as Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court chief justice, wants to be 'the chief for everyone'," December 8, 2010, accessed November 25, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Massachusetts • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Massachusetts
State courts:
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court • Massachusetts Appeals Court • Massachusetts Superior Courts • Massachusetts District Courts • Massachusetts Housing Courts • Massachusetts Juvenile Courts • Massachusetts Land Courts • Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts • Boston Municipal Courts, Massachusetts
State resources:
Courts in Massachusetts • Massachusetts judicial elections • Judicial selection in Massachusetts
