Roderick L. Ireland (born December 3, 1944) is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, and the first African American to serve that position. He was nominated for Chief Justice by Governor Deval Patrick on November 4, 2010,Boston Globe: Frank Phillips, "Patrick to name first African-American chief justice of SJC", November 4, 2010, accessed December 21, 2010 and sworn in on December 20.WBUR: "Ireland Is Sworn In As SJC Chief Justice," December 20, 2010, accessed December 21, 2010 He retired from service on the court on July 25, 2014.
