Irish Americans have been serving on the U.S. Supreme Court since it began. Justice William Paterson, appointed by George Washington, was the only one born in Ireland – but there have been 24 more with Irish roots. In fact, more than 20% of the 116 who served on the court have Irish heritage.
A new book launched at a Supreme Court Historical Society this month tells their stories. “The Emerald Bench: The History of the Irish American Justices on the Supreme Court” was written by Sean Meehan and published by Rizzoli.
The launch was attended by Irish Ambassador to the US Geraldine Byrne Nason as well as Justice Gerard Hogan of Ireland’s Supreme Court, according to a report by Mark Walsh on Scotus Blog.
Justice Brett Kavanagh introduced the author, who spoke of the 25 Irish-American justices – two of whom, John Rutledge and James Iredell, were on the very first court. Irish-born Justice William Paterson left Ulster with his Scottish Presbyterian parents as a one-year-old in 1747; he was a delate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and filled the Supreme Court’s second vacancy.
The author detailed several of the more notable justices before concluding:
“As proud as we are to be Irish – and we should be – I hope these stories also cause us to reflect on the American part of being Irish American. “We should be proud of a country that at one time welcomed people – our ancestors – from a foreign land. People who were desperate, who took that leap of faith, believing that this was a place where they could create a better life for their children and grandchildren, and people whose lives vindicated that belief.”
He added, “I hope we can reflect on how we all benefited from the leap of faith our foreparents took, how this country’s great judicial system has been honed and enriched by the children and grandchildren of immigrants, not just the Irish ones.”
Read all about the event at Mark Walsh’s article on Scotusblog.com: The Irish Court.
IrishAmerica250.org 