ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the education and experience of Associate Justice Francis X. Spina of the Supreme Judicial Court for the state of Massachusetts (USA). It highlights Justice Spina's legal practice, his position on historical, current, and future issues, and his unique perception involving success and failures of law and procedure. The United States court system is not one uniformity or, seemingly at times, solidarity. There are many levels within the hierarchy that extend across jurisdictional bounds–concerning both subject matter and geography. To understand and appreciate the information and perspective offered by Justice Spina, one must understand and appreciate the nature and extent of the United States court system. The position of judge or justice involves impartial decisions of fact, law, and the–often difficult–interpretation of case law, both past and present. In the case of Justice Spina, his current role on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court involves multiple functions and purposes.
