Joseph Richard Nolan (June 14, 1925 – April 23, 2013)Judge Joseph R. Nolan (1925-2013)
/ref> was an American jurist.

Early life and education

He was born in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.Joseph R. Nolan; SJC justice known as social conservative
/ref>Obituary: Joseph R. Nolan, Five-decade long resident, "Triple Eagle" served on the state's highest court
/ref>Joseph R. Nolan memorial addresses
/ref> He was the younger of two sons whose father was a school custodian and whose mother cleaned houses. He graduated from

Boston College High School , motto_translation = ''So they may know You.'' , address = 150 Morrissey Boulevard , city = Boston , state = Massachusetts , zipcode = 02125 , country ...

in 1942. He would later graduate from Boston College with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in 1950 and from

Boston College Law School Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College. It is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. With approximately 800 stud ...

with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

degree in 1954.

Military service

He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

reaching the rank of Pharmacist's Mate Third Class. He served in the Pacific Theater.

Legal & academic career

He started his legal career in private practice and later became an assistant district attorney for Suffolk County. He served as the general counsel for the Massachusetts Lottery Commission. From 1965 to 2011 he was a professor of law at Suffolk University Law School.

Judicial career

From 1973 to 1978 he was a special justice for the Brighton District of the

Boston Municipal Court The Boston Municipal Court (BMC), officially the Boston Municipal Court Department of the Trial Court, is a department of the Trial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The court hears criminal, civil, mental health, rest ...

.A manual for the use of the General Court (1979-1980)
/ref> From 1978 to 1980 he was a judge on the

Massachusetts Superior Court The Massachusetts Superior Court (also known as the Superior Court Department of the Trial Court) is a trial court department in Massachusetts. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $50,000, and in matters where equit ...

. From 1980 to 1981 he was an associate justice on the Massachusetts Appeals Court. From 1981 to 1995 he was an associate justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.'Joseph Nolan, SJC justice known as social conservative,' Boston Globe, Bryan Marquard, April 24, 2013 He retired from judicial service in 1995.

Later life

He served as President of the Catholic Lawyers Guild from 1995 until his death in 2013.

Personal life

He married Margaret M. “Peggy” Kelly in 1947. They had seven children. She died in 2014.

Death

He died on April 23, 2013, in St. Elizabeth‟s Medical Center in Brighton from complications of a broken hip he suffered a couple days prior.

Notes

1925 births 2013 deaths Boston College alumni Boston College Law School alumni Judges of the Boston Municipal Court Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges People from Mattapan Massachusetts lawyers United States Navy personnel of World War II Massachusetts Superior Court justices Judges of the Massachusetts Appeals Court {{Massachusetts-state-judge-stub