N.H. Chief Justice to Deliver Thomas More Lecture on Faith, Work and Civic Life at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – John T. Broderick Jr. ’69, chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, will give the Thomas More Lecture on Monday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

The Thomas More Lecture honors a graduate of Holy Cross who exemplifies the College’s dedication to the integration of faith and learning. The alumnus or alumna is invited to speak about his or her own profession, vocation, and the ethical opportunities and challenges faced there.

Broderick was sworn in as chief justice in 2004. He was appointed an associate justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court in 1995 after many years as a private practitioner in Manchester, N.H. He served as president of the New Hampshire Bar Association from 1990-1991, is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is a past president of the New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association. In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Broderick to the board of directors of the national Legal Services Corporation.

Broderick is a passionate advocate for making legal services more accessible, affordable and efficient for all.

In an address to New York state judges last year, he said, “We need to do all we can as often as we can to ensure that the people and the politicians across this country are as concerned publicly about universal access to justice, as they are about universal access to healthcare.”

In 2007, the New Hampshire Supreme Court established an Access to Justice Commission, comprised of mostly lay people to explore initiatives to improve citizens’ access to the courts. That year, Broderick was selected by the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Pro Bono Referral Program to receive its annual pro bono award in recognition of his efforts to encourage lawyers in private practice to offer their services without charge, or at low cost, to help meet the legal needs of the poor. For his advocacy, Broderick also received an honorary degree from Vermont Law School.

Prior to taking a seat on the Supreme Court, Broderick had practiced with the law firm of Devine Millimet Stahl & Branch in Manchester, N.H., and later opened his own firm. He holds degrees from Holy Cross and the University of Virginia Law School.

To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit www.holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College's commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.