Mark A. Sullivan (August 11, 1911 – November 9, 2001) was an American judge and sat on the New Jersey Supreme Court for eight years.
Sullivan was born in
Jersey City
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, which was at the time New Jersey's highest court. Sullivan received his high school education at
St. Peter's Preparatory School
Saint Peter's Preparatory School ("Saint Peter's Prep" or "Prep") is a private, all-male, Jesuit, college-preparatory school located in Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. T ...
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
.Carter, Kathy Barrett (2001) "Justice Sullivan, 'a state institution,' dies at 90" '' The Star-Ledger'' (Newark, New Jersey) November 10, 2001, p. 29 During World War II he served in the United States Navy as a combat intelligence officer aboard the escort aircraft carrier U.S.S. Croatan.
In 1945 he was appointed as a judge in the 2nd District Court of Jersey City. After the 1947 Constitution changed the structure of the New Jersey judiciary, he sat in the same county, but now as Presiding Judge of the Hudson County District Court. In 1953, he was elevated to the New Jersey Superior Court."Statement of the New Jersey Supreme Court on the Death of Retired Associate Justice Mark A. Sullivan" November 13, 2001 , retrieved December 19, 2008 In 1959, Chief Justice
Joseph Weintraub
Joseph Weintraub (1908–1977) graduated from Cornell Law School in 1930 and was Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1957 to 1973. He previously served as an associate justice of the same court from 1956 to 1957.
See also
*List of ...
, of the New Jersey Supreme Court, assigned him to the Appellate Division of Superior Court. Sullivan was appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court by Governor William T. Cahill and was sworn in on March 23, 1973. During his eight years on the court he authored many decisions, including the initial reversal of the murder conviction of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Sullivan retired from the New Jersey Supreme Court under the mandatory retirement provision of the New Jersey Constitution on August 11, 1981. Sullivan, however, continued to serve the judiciary as an adjunct judge in the Superior Court in Monmouth County, and in such high-profile cases as the recount of the gubernatorial election in 1981.itzgerald, Mark (2000) "An Election Recount Remembered" ''Editor & Publisher'' December 12, 2000 retrieved December 19, 2008 Sullivan also accepted a number of administrative assignments for the N.J. Supreme Court, including several years service as the chairmanship of the New Jersey Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.
Personal life
Sullivan was married to Mary Josephine Hamill, the daughter of Congressman
James A. Hamill
James Alphonsus Hamill (March 30, 1877 – December 15, 1941) was an American attorney and Democratic Party politician. He served as the U.S. representative from New Jersey's 10th congressional district from 1907 to 1913 and 12th district ...
. Justice Sullivan's wife predeceased him by two years. They had one son.