Page 34 - BusinessWest February 21, 2022

John Greaney
Retired I
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice; Senior Counsel, Bulkley Richardson
His Decisions, and His Actions, Have Helped Move Society Forward
t wasn’t the most compelling moment in John Greaney’s long and distinguished career behind the bench. And it certainly wasn’t the most controversial.
But it was poignant, and it spoke volumes about who he is and how he does things.
By George O’Brien
As the opposing sides in a bitter power struggle for control of the Boston Red Sox gathered in Room 1006 of the Massachusetts Court of Appeals on Feb. 14, 1984, Greaney, the recently appointed chief justice of the Appellate Division, and his fellow justices could feel the tension rising.
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Leah Martin Photography
“We had practically every major
lawyer in Boston there either
observing or arguing,” Greaney,
currently senior counsel at Bulkley
Richardson, recalled. “[Justice] Ami
Cutter, who was sitting next to me, said, as the whole thing ended, ‘this was very tense; can you say something?’”
He did. Speaking specifically to the lawyer in front of him, but also all those present, he said, “it may take into the baseball season before a decision is rendered, so I Ieave you with this thought. I urge all of the disputing parties in the meantime to at least get together to do something about the pitching.”
The next day’s story on the court session in the sports section of the Boston Globe carried this headline:
May They Please the Court
Judge Offers Red Sox Litigants Advice on Pitching as Appeals Are Heard
The episode also found its way into Sports Illustrated, said Greaney, who said that, while his tongue may have been in cheek, he was speaking for all
He had a good demeanor
about giving defendants a break; usually, if they had a job and had a family, he didn’t want to incarcerate them ... I said, ‘jeez, he’s certainly doing something worthwhile here.’”
34 FEBRUARY 21, 2022
BusinessWest