Joseph R. Nolan

American judge

Joseph R. Nolan


Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
In office 1981–1995
Appointed by	Edward J. King
Preceded by	Francis Quirico
Succeeded by	Charles Fried
Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court
In office 1980–1981
Appointed by	Edward J. King
Preceded by	Edmund V. Keville
Succeeded by	Kent B. Smith
Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court
In office 1978–1980
Appointed by	Edward J. King
Special Justice for the Brighton District of the Boston Municipal Court
In office 1973–1978
Appointed by	Francis W. Sargent

Personal details
Born	Joseph Richard Nolan (1925-06-14)June 14, 1925 Mattapan, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	April 23, 2013(2013-04-23) (aged 87) Brighton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Spouse	Margaret Kelly (m. 1947-2013)
Children	7
Education	Boston College (BS, LLB)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy
Rank	Pharmacist's Mate Third Class
Battles/wars	World War II

Joseph Richard Nolan^[1] (June 14, 1925 – April 23, 2013)^[2] was an American jurist.

Early life and education

He was born in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.^[3]^[4]^[5] He was the younger of two sons whose father was a school custodian and whose mother cleaned houses.^[3] He graduated from Boston College High School in 1942.^[3]^[5]^[4] He would later graduate from Boston College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1950 and from Boston College Law School with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1954.^[3]^[5]^[4]

Military service

He served in the United States Navy during World War II reaching the rank of Pharmacist's Mate Third Class.^[3]^[5]^[4] He served in the Pacific Theater.^[3]^[5]^[4]

Legal & academic career

He started his legal career in private practice and later became an assistant district attorney for Suffolk County.^[3]^[5]^[4] He served as the general counsel for the Massachusetts Lottery Commission.^[3]^[5]^[4] From 1965 to 2011 he was a professor of law at Suffolk University Law School.^[3]^[5]^[4]

Judicial career

From 1973 to 1978 he was a special justice for the Brighton District of the Boston Municipal Court.^[6]^[7]^[3]^[5]^[4] From 1978 to 1980 he was a judge on the Massachusetts Superior Court.^[7]^[3]^[5]^[4] From 1980 to 1981 he was an associate justice on the Massachusetts Appeals Court.^[3]^[5]^[4] From 1981 to 1995 he was an associate justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.^[8]^[9]^[3]^[5]^[4] He retired from judicial service in 1995.^[3]^[5]^[4]

Later life

He served as President of the Catholic Lawyers Guild from 1995 until his death in 2013.^[3]^[5]^[4]

Personal life

He married Margaret M. “Peggy” Kelly in 1947.^[3]^[5]^[4] They had seven children.^[3]^[5]^[4] She died in 2014.^[2]

Death

He died on April 23, 2013, in St. Elizabeth‟s Medical Center in Brighton from complications of a broken hip he suffered a couple days prior.^[3]^[5]^[4]

Notes

^ Boston College Bulletin, Law, 1955
^ ^a ^b Judge Joseph R. Nolan (1925-2013)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r Joseph R. Nolan; SJC justice known as social conservative
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q Obituary: Joseph R. Nolan, Five-decade long resident, "Triple Eagle" served on the state's highest court
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q Joseph R. Nolan memorial addresses
^ A manual for the use of the General Court (1973-1976)
^ ^a ^b A manual for the use of the General Court (1979-1980)
^ Judge Joseph Nolan, Massachusetts Appeals Court-1980-1981
^ 'Joseph Nolan, SJC justice known as social conservative,' Boston Globe, Bryan Marquard, April 24, 2013