Chief Justice Mark V. Green (Ret.), President
Not long after I was appointed Chief Justice in 2017, I got an email from my law school friend Jack Sabatino, encouraging me to join CCJSCA and to attend its upcoming annual conference in San Diego. While in the process of making those arrangements, I asked then-President Melanie May if she might direct me to a sample set of written internal policies and procedures for an intermediate appellate court, as developing a written operating manual was among my early projects – and by return email Melanie sent me her court’s policies to use as a starting point. I recognized immediately what I have experienced consistently ever since – the rich reservoir of resources the Council offers to each of us, and the eagerness of our fellow chiefs across the country to assist us in meeting the challenges we face in our role every day.
When I attended that first conference in San Diego, the warm welcome I received was like nothing I had experienced in any other organization I had joined over the years before. In fact I am not a “joiner” by nature, but the gravitational pull of my new friends at CCJSCA quickly overcame whatever hesitancy I might have carried. I have greatly enjoyed my involvement in various committees since first joining the Council, and have enjoyed even more my attendance at the fabulous annual conferences each year – but in both instances my pleasure was as much or more a product of the friendships I formed with my fellow chiefs from other states as of the considerable value the resulting education provided in helping me do my job.
I suspect each of you has had a similar experience. Though our courts (and terms and selection processes) are different from one state to the next, the challenges we face as chiefs share a remarkable number of common themes. Among those challenges, and connecting many of them, is discovering the truth in the adage that “it’s lonely at the top.” As lawyers and judges we typically are not trained to manage or to lead, and there are few places we may turn safely or confidently for support or sound advice. Other than CCJSCA.
We are – each of us and all of us – most fortunate for the vision of our predecessors who saw fit in 1980 to form the CCJSCA, and for the leadership of those who have guided it through the ensuing years, including several periods that posed financial or other serious threats to the organization’s viability. We are privileged to stand on the shoulders of giants. I am humbled and honored to be entrusted with the stewardship of the organization for the next year, and I am particularly grateful for the extraordinary assemblage of talent and energy of members comprising the leadership and membership of our various committees.
You’re likely familiar with the saying “may you live in interesting times.” I recently discovered that, though it’s usually described as an ancient Chinese curse, it is neither ancient nor Chinese. And for my part I am reluctant to call it a curse, since the alternative would be what – boring? But whatever its origins or most accurate description, there is no doubt that we are indeed living in interesting times. We are fortunate to be serving in positions where we can have a daily positive influence in preserving the strength of this great American experiment, as leaders within one of the three co-equal branches of government (an independent judiciary being the quintessential distinguishing characteristic of American democracy – and it is here that my Massachusetts pedigree compels me to mention John Adams as its architect). So let’s appreciate the privilege we have to serve in our respective leadership capacities, and to have the support and camaraderie of each other in CCJSCA. And let’s have fun while doing so!
Hon. Mark V. Green
Chief Justice (Ret.), Massachusetts Appeals Court
CCJSCA President