Judge Roderick Ireland Personifies Serious Problem As Killings of Black Children Rise in Boston
Posted Wednesday, Dec. 28 5:00 PM
       As the killings of black children dramatically rise in Boston, observers say that SJC Judge Roderick Ireland personifies the problem that is faced by black youth.
       As the first black person to be appointed to the Supreme Judicial Court, Rick Ireland's swearing-in at the State House in 1997 attracted the most important politicians in the state, together with prominent judges. It was an impressive and festive celebration.
       The Boston Globe wrote at the time: "His leisure time is largely devoted to the Eliot Congregational Church in Roxbury." One well known politician gave the most astute comment: "He is very personable." No one can dislike Rick Ireland.
       He told the Globe: "I'll probably be the first justice to drive up and down the full length of Blue Hill Avenue (from his home in the rich suburb of Milton) on a daily basis."
       But that was not totally accurate. There are many other suburbanites like Ireland, who drive it every day --- also with the windows closed.

       Not Typical of Blacks
       Rick Ireland is not a poor man. He's not one of the "disadvantaged" who need to be helped because America was mean to his ancestors for many generations. When we look at Judge Ireland, should we give him a special "pass" on gay marriage because he's black?
       Don't forget: The vote of every judge was crucial, including Judge Ireland! We had a 3-3 tie! Any of those six Associate Judges could have changed the ruling, including Justice Ireland. The question is should Massachusetts be forced by unelected judges to embrace gay marriage?
       Because Rick Ireland voted in favor of her plan, Margaret Marshall was able to break the tie. Why did he vote that way?
       As Ireland sits quietly with a pleasant look on his face during all Oral Arguments, one might believe he was instructed on what to say. His doesn't appear passionate or "involved" in the case. But the reality is that Ireland is more experienced as a judge than any other judge on the Supreme Judicial Court. John Greaney has been a judge for 27-years. Judge Ireland has 28-years under his belt.

       A Person You Want to Like 
       The judge is a graduate of Lincoln University in the beautiful farm country of Pennsylvania, 45 miles southwest of Philadelphia. His father, George L. Ireland, also graduated from there in 1941. The Judge has had a pleasant life with apparently enough money to pay his admissions to college and to the prestigious law school at Columbia University in New York, and then on to Harvard and Northeastern for graduate studies after law school was over.
       Judge Ireland appears to be a person you want to like. Unlike the other two SJC judges who signed Margaret Marshall's illegal Ruling for gay marriage, he does not appear to have a mean or angry streak in him. If he does have such a temperament, we have not discovered it.
       But he does appear to scrape and bow to people in power, regardless of color. He boast's proudly on the SJC's website that he's "active in his community," including that he's a member of the Eliot Church in Roxbury, and has been for many years while "participating in numerous church-sponsored programs and initiatives."
       However, a check with our many black friends in that area disclosed that they have never heard of Judge Ireland. The Eliot Church is without a minister at the present time.   The judge also says on the SJC website that he is a frequent speaker in schools and churches, but he does not tell what he says to schoolchildren about the ruling on gay marriage.

       Ireland Signed Marshall's Ruling
       In Marshall's ruling which Ireland (and two others) signed imposing gay marriage, Margaret Marshall compared homosexuals to black people. She cited the cases which gave blacks civil liberties and said that homosexuals are entitled to the same protection.
       This is required under our state Constitution, she wrote: "because of a single trait: skin color [if blacks are involved], sexual orientation here [where homosexuals are involved]."
        In other words, the skin color of blacks is comparable to the sexual practices of homosexuals.
       Instead, Justice Ireland could have joined the three other SJC judges who wrote with great passion that Ireland and Marshall were violating the Constitution, not obeying it, because this was a subject for the legislature to decide, not the courts. One of the three judges opposing Justice Ireland's Ruling, Judge Cordy was so upset that he wrote more words than Marshall, 9210 words to 9021.
       Since there was a 3-3 tie among the Associate Justices, any one of them, including Ireland, could have changed whether or not we embraced gay marriage.

       A Visit to Ireland's Church
       The President of Mass Citizens for Marriage since its founding in 2000, Sally Pawlick, went to Judge Ireland's church in October to observe his claim that he remains an active member of The Eliot Church of Roxbury, which he has "served" for many years.
       She arrived a half-hour before the 11 a.m. service and stayed through the first part of the coffee hour until 2:00 p.m.
       "I have been involved since 2000 and I have observed very few black churches that support gay marriage," she said. "Therefore, I wanted to visit personally and discover what is happening." Pawlick says she learned the following:
       Ireland's vote was an aberration to most of the black folk at Eliot Congregational Church of Roxbury. There are some people who expressed empathy with the judge's opinion last Sunday. But the majority of the congregation are not comfortable with gay marriage.
       Others said on Sunday that politics did not belong in the church. However, they apparently do not realize that Ireland has made his religion and Eliot Church very important to his public image and he works very hard to keep that image.
       Justice Ireland has the following on the SJC website about himself: "Active in his community, Justice Ireland is a frequent speaker in schools, churches and community forums. He has been a member of the Eliot Church of Roxbury for many years, participating in numerous church-sponsored programs and initiatives." That is putting the congregation at Eliot Church squarely behind his political decision about gay marriage.
       It has also been discovered that Judge Ireland is living with his third wife and has an illegitimate son, Dax Ireland, for whom he was sued for support in 1994. The Boston Herald reported those facts in August 1997, but the Boston Globe has never reported them. While many people would not find any problem with Ireland's behavior, he is frequently emphasizing his good character and his involvement with the Eliot Church. He is apparently not forthright about his moral life.

       Accompanied by Atty. J. Edward Pawlick
       Sally was accompanied by her husband, Atty. J. Edward Pawlick, who is the attorney for MCM and personally was heard at oral arguments before the SJC four times in 2002 and 2003 to stand for traditional marriage. He has wondered over the years why Judge Ireland has appeared so disinterested in hearing oral arguments about the gay marriage case (Goodridge v. Commissioner of Public Health). 
       "Obviously, Justice Ireland had already decided the case," says Atty. Pawlick. "Why would he be interested in hearing more? This is a very serious matter. Our thousands of volunteers spent many weeks collecting 130,000 signatures and MCM spent $1.7 million in the process. For this judge to close his eyes is beyond belief."

       A Terrible Message to Black Youth
       What kind of a message is Rick Ireland sending to black youth?
       He's obviously one who has become disinterested in black people or poor people. He seeks only to "get ahead" himself. He personifies the problem that the black community faces. They need new, young leadership to stop the killings and Rick Ireland should just move on.