I am sure that we all reacted with the same degree of shock, disbelief and concern upon learning of the unexplainable attack on Supreme Court Justice John Broderick, Jr. We have all expressed concern and support to John and his family in our own way over the last few weeks. Consistent with my faith, I prayed for John – at the time, the severity of his injuries were still unclear. His well-being and fight for survival dominated my thoughts until a few days later when, almost miraculously, his condition was upgraded and his doctors predicted that he could possibly return to the bench within three months.

Relieved by this hopeful prognosis, I began to reflect on the reasons for my strong feelings of concern for John. I realized my preoccupation about his well being was not due to the fact that he is a Supreme Court justice, or even that he is a fellow member of the Bar and past president of this Association. It was not because I litigated cases with him prior to his appointment, and that I respected his first-rate legal mind and his abilities as a litigator. My concern for John Broderick was because he is a human being and a good man, who was seriously hurt and who for a while was literally fighting for his life. John is a man of faith who clearly cares deeply for his family and his sons, who was trying to do the right thing. He had endured multiple eye surgeries and the unpleasantness of the impeachment ordeal, and had finally seemed to regain his old spark and spirit only to face this new painful and nearly tragic setback. It was then that I realized that it was the person beneath the robe, John Broderick the human being, for whom I prayed.

Perhaps in our business it is natural to think of people only in their "official capacities," without pausing to realize that we are all people first, and lawyers, judges and support staff second. We all have dreams, fears, families and, most importantly, problems and difficulties that we deal with on a daily basis. Unfortunately, it is too easy to forget this human component when we have a complaint about a judge’s decision, a fellow lawyer’s behavior or the perceived failure of a member of the court staff to drop everything he or she is doing to serve our immediate needs. It was perhaps natural during the recent impeachment hearings and subsequent criticism of the Court and our judiciary to focus only on the allegations, testimony and rhetoric, forgetting that the targets of that criticism were people first, and judges second. They were people with families, feelings, professional accomplishments and their own personal problems, subjected to an onslaught of criticism, which most of us hope we will never have to endure under any circumstances. Maybe we forgot about this. Maybe I forgot about this.

At this summer’s Annual Meeting to be held in Portsmouth the weekend of July 20-22, I have the honor of presenting a number of President’s Awards on behalf of the entire Bar Association. I decided late last year that I would present the Justice William Grimes Award for Judicial Professionalism to all five members of our Supreme Court. I had told only Chief Justice Brock of my decision at the time. I told him that I felt the manner in which the entire Court had buckled down and gone to work following the unpleasantness of the impeachment ordeal – instituting its own structural improvements and enthusiastically working hard to not only erase the existing case backlog, but to also accept and decide more appeals – represented the very essence of judicial professionalism. The Court did not "give up" or bury its head in the sand, but rather fought to both reestablish its rightful judicial authority and leadership and to "go back to work" serving the citizens of this state. All five of the "people" on the Court have truly earned our respect, and will receive our Association’s highest judicial award at the June 21 Annual Meeting Banquet at the Portsmouth Sheraton.

It is my personal hope that John Broderick’s health will allow him to attend the dinner that evening and take part in the ceremony recognizing him and his fellow justices. Obviously, this will depend on the speed of his recovery, and whether he feels physically up to attending when late June arrives. In the meantime, I know I can speak on behalf of the entire Association in wishing our friend and colleague John Broderick a speedy and full recovery. John, the Bar Association that you have served so well and so faithfully over the years is here for you, your wife, Patty, and your family in this time of need. While we have deep professional respect for your office and your position as a justice of our Supreme Court, it is you, John, the "person beneath the robe," to whom we offer our support and prayers. Take care of yourself, get well soon, and we all look forward to having you back on the bench and among your fellow members of the bar.

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