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CHIEF JUSTICE MARGARET H. MARSHALL WILL RETIRE
Massachusetts
Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall
today announced that she will retire from the Court by
the end of October, 2010, or when her successor is appointed
and confirmed, whichever is sooner. Chief Justice Marshall
has served on the Court for fourteen years, three as
an Associate Justice and eleven as Chief Justice. She
was the second woman appointed to the Court and is the
first woman to serve as Chief Justice in the 318-year
history of the Court.
At
a press conference today in the John Adams Courthouse,
Chief Justice Marshall said, "My decision to leave
this Court four years before the mandatory retirement
age of seventy is predicated singularly on a personal
reason: my husband, Anthony Lewis, has been diagnosed
with Parkinson's Disease. Tony and I are both at an age
when we have learned to value, value deeply, the precious
gift of time. And so, with deep regret, but also with
deep conviction, I will relinquish my role as Chief Justice
in order that, without distraction, Tony and I may enjoy
our final seasons together."
"I
cannot take this step without acknowledging that it has
been a wonderfully rewarding experience for me to serve
the people of Massachusetts as a Justice on this historic
Court, the oldest appellate court in continuous existence
in our nation, which has long served to protect the rights
of all of the people in this Commonwealth, impartially,
fairly, equally."
Mr.
Lewis, 83, is a journalist who worked at The New York
Times for fifty years until his retirement in 2001.
At
the outset of her tenure as Chief Justice on October
1, 1999, Chief Justice Marshall announced her determination
to make the Massachusetts Judiciary a national model
of judicial excellence. In 2002, with the Supreme Judicial
Court's appointment of the Visiting Committee on the
Management of the Courts, Chief Justice Marshall spearheaded
a plan to revolutionize the administration of the trial
courts by introducing modern best management practices
of accountability, transparency, data-driven strategic
planning, and efficiency. The judicial management reforms
established during her tenure have resulted in significant
decreases in case backlogs and in the length of time
between the filing and resolution of cases, as well as
in cost-savings throughout the trial and appellate courts.
Chief
Justice Marshall also led the Supreme Judicial Court
in establishing a robust program of judicial evaluation,
judicial education, and judicial mentoring to ensure
that all Massachusetts judges carry out their constitutional
duties fairly and respectfully toward all, according
to law. All Massachusetts judges, trial and appellate,
are appointed with life tenure, subject to mandatory
retirement at age seventy.
A
passionate advocate for justice since her days as a student
leader in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, Chief
Justice Marshall elevated broadening access to justice
to the top of the Judicial Branch's agenda. Through her
efforts, the Supreme Judicial Court established an Access
to Justice Commission, a Steering Committee on Self-Represented
Litigants, and, together with the Chief Justice for Administration
and Management of the Trial Court, the appointment of
a Special Advisor for Access to Justice in the Trial
Courts.
An
advocate for teaching each new generation the importance
of the role of the judicial branch in our constitutional
scheme, and an unabashed admirer of John Adams, drafter
of the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution, she has championed
the reinvigoration of civic and law-related education.
The 19th Century John Adams Courthouse, home of the Supreme
Judicial Court, was renovated during her tenure, winning
several architectural awards. It has become a vibrant
center for law-related events, welcoming some forty thousand
visitors since the courthouse reopened in 2005.
Chief
Justice Marshall is an influential national and international
voice for promoting the rule of law and the role of independent
courts in a democracy, and is the recipient of numerous
honorary degrees and awards for judicial distinction.
During
her time on the Court, Chief Justice Marshall authored
over 300 decisions, many of them of landmark significance.
In
her letter informing Governor Deval Patrick of her intended
retirement, Chief Justice Marshall stated: "The rule
of law, enforced by independent judges, is central to
any democracy. It is an ideal to which I have devoted
my life. I am honored that I have had an opportunity
to work toward that ideal as a public servant of this
Commonwealth."
Chief
Justice Marshall thanked Governor Patrick for the "courtesies
you have extended to me personally and as the head of
the judicial branch." She also expressed her deep appreciation
to Governor William F. Weld, who appointed her to the
Supreme Judicial Court in 1996, and to Governor A. Paul
Cellucci, who named her Chief Justice three years later.
Chief
Justice Marshall added, "I will leave the Court
with enormous respect for it and its unique role in the
history of our nation, with the hope that that I have
contributed to the improvement of the delivery of justice
in this Commonwealth."
>> Statement
of Chief Jusice Margaret H. Marshall 
>> Biographical
Information
>> Notable
Decisions
>> Notable
Accomplishments
| Biographical information on Chief
Justice Marshall, as well as a list of accomplishments
and significant decisions, will be posted on the
court’s website: www.mass.gov/courts and www.mass.gov/sjc |
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