EXECUTIVE COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING
MAY 24, 2004
STATEMENT BY THE HONORABLE JOHN T. BRODERICK, JR.
NEW HAMPSHIRE SUPREME COURT

      I have just a few brief remarks before we discuss my nomination as Chief Justice, a discussion I welcome.

          First, I want to express my deep gratitude to Governor Benson for his nomination and his confidence. I will do all in my power to prove worthy of his trust, and the trust of the people of New Hampshire.

          Second, I want to thank the Legislature for the opportunity its leadership has given me and my colleagues these past four months to begin a new dialogue. If you allow me to become Chief Justice, I will continue to reach out, to listen, to cooperate and to learn. This is not a job you can do alone. 

           Third, I want to thank my colleagues and the staff throughout the Judicial Branch, particularly at the Supreme Court, who have been so supportive and encouraging these last few months since Justice Brock’s retirement. They are an extraordinary group of people and I would be very honored to lead them.

        Today is a day in my life as a lawyer and as a judge that has no comparison. I am humbled, very grateful, and proud to be here. It is a momentous day for me and my family. So, allow me to begin by telling  you a little about what I have learned, in my professional  and personal life, that I believe would assist me in serving as Chief Justice.

            I grew up in a mid-sized town in Massachusetts, where I did what many middle-class kids did in those days. I attended public schools, played sports and worked summer jobs. I was taught to respect authority and to value hard work. My family, my faith and my neighborhood nurtured me. My parents, particularly my mother, instilled in me a deep affection for government, politics and public service. Perry Mason was  largely responsible for my early fascination with the law and the courtroom. I wanted to be a trial lawyer since I was in the seventh grade. I was privileged to live that dream for twenty-two years.

           In my journey to this table this afternoon, I have stood on many shoulders and have been influenced and aided by a lot of good people over many years. My paternal grandfather emigrated from Ireland and worked in a mill in East Walpole, Massachusetts as a janitor. My mother’s father sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door.  I think I got my trial skills from him.

           My father was in the first generation of my family to go to college and he earned two degrees in chemistry from Boston College. He chaired the high school science department in my hometown and was a gifted teacher and a great parent. My mother was accepted to nursing school but her family could not afford to send her. She spent her entire working life in an office, behind a desk. Together, they inspired great dreams in me and my sister, Mary Lou, who has had a long career in social work at a major Boston hospital.  

         My wife Patti sacrificed more than anyone to support my career. Whatever success I have I owe to her. She even found time to become a teacher herself. She is the strongest and best person I have ever known. Our two sons, Matthew and Christian, and Patti, were my inspiration.

         When Governor Merrill nominated me to serve on the Supreme Court in 1995, I knew that being a justice meant a very different life than the one I had enjoyed as a trial lawyer. But, I was grateful to be offered such an extraordinary opportunity for public service. And I have never, ever, looked back.

          My experiences as a lawyer and a judge over all these years have taught me a lot about myself, my community, my friends, the decency of people and the burdens they carry and the simple majesty of our democracy. I have learned the most in times of professional and personal adversity. Our family has endured both, often very publicly. We are all stronger, closer and wiser for those experiences. We look with  hope, as a family,  to the future.

          As a judge, I have learned that public trust and confidence depends upon openness in the justice system. I have also learned that as judges, we must do all we can to maintain and enhance that  indispensable principle. I pledge to do that.

          I have learned through my experience that it is important to take concrete steps, and actions, as we have done in the past four years, to retain public trust and confidence in the court system. I pledge to do that. 

          I have also learned that as judges, we need to look at ourselves, and at the court system, not just from the inside, but with a clear view from the outside, as a person on the street might see us. We must be accountable to the people so that they can be confident that justice will be served when they come to our courts. I pledge to do that.

          The courts don’t belong to the judges, they belong to the people. Judges are no more important than any New Hampshire citizen or any other public official. We just have different jobs and different responsibilities.

           As I close, let me share with you some of the things I have been doing these past four months. 

            I have traveled all around our state, visiting courthouses in eight of our 10 counties, joined on some visits by the governor and state lawmakers. I have gone desk to desk meeting our staff, thanking them for their work and dedication, and asking them how we can do a better job serving our citizens.

            I have sought and received support from our judges to expand and retool our family division so we can give parents and children in distress  the help they need, as timely as possible.

           We have signed a long awaited contract to upgrade our court computer system to increase public access to information and ultimately bring our system into the age of electronic filing.

           A committee of judges, court advocates,  administrators and technology experts has been hard at work examining the long term needs and priorities of the justice system. They will issue a report in August which I look forward to discussing with the governor and legislature.

           You have my pledge that, if I am confirmed as Chief Justice, I and my colleagues will do all we can to continue these efforts to make justice accessible,  affordable,  prompt and fair for all our citizens.

           Finally, you have my solemn promise that I will do my best to make you and the people of this state proud of my continued service to the Judicial Branch of government. 

           It is an honor to appear before you today and I ask for your support. Thank you. I welcome your questions.  

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