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Supreme Judicial Court holds memorial sitting for former Associate Justice Charles Fried
Summary
The Supreme Judicial Court held a memorial sitting in Boston to honor former Associate Justice Charles Fried, highlighting his scholarly career at Harvard Law School, service as U.S. Solicitor General and his 1995–1999 tenure on the court. Family, former clerks, colleagues and justices spoke about his teaching, scholarship and temperament.
Chief Justice Kimberly Budd opened a memorial sitting of the Supreme Judicial Court in Boston honoring the late Associate Justice Charles Fried, noting his roles as a scholar, teacher and former member of the court.
The memorial drew family members, former clerks, colleagues from Harvard Law School and officials from the Commonwealth, who described Fried’s long career in academia, government and the judiciary and recommended that a written memorial be entered on the court’s records.
Chief Justice Kimberly Budd, speaking on behalf of the court, said, “I’m pleased to welcome you to this memorial sitting for the Honorable Charles Fried, who served as an associate justice of this court from 1995 to 1999.” First Assistant Attorney General Patrick Moore, appearing for the Commonwealth, called Fried “a titan of the law” and praised his “towering intellect” and decades as a law professor and public servant. Attorney William Lee recalled a 40‑year friendship and said, “A great man has died. We will not see anyone like Charles Fried again.” Kristen Smith Daley and other former clerks recounted Fried’s mentorship, curiosity and teaching style.
Why it matters: Fried’s career bridged high‑level government service and legal scholarship. Speakers at the sitting emphasized his influence on legal education, appellate advocacy and the practices of this court. Justice Scott Kafka, speaking for the court near the ceremony’s close, moved that “this memorial be spread on the records of the Supreme Judicial Court,” a motion the court allowed.
Details offered at the sitting
Speakers summarized Fried’s personal and professional biography: he was born in Prague in 1935 and fled Czechoslovakia with his family in 1939. He became a U.S. citizen as a young teenager, earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton (1956), degrees from Oxford University (1958, 1960) and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, and clerked for Justice John M. Harlan at the U.S. Supreme Court. He joined the Harvard Law School faculty in 1961 and taught for decades. Speakers recalled Fried’s service in the Reagan administration and his appointment as U.S. Solicitor General (1985–1989). The court tenure cited at the sitting was 1995–1999, after which Fried returned to teaching at Harvard Law School.
Speakers also noted elements of Fried’s judicial work and style: colleagues said his questioning at oral argument helped make the SJC a more engaged bench, and they pointed to influential opinions and memorable lines from his opinions — including his dissent in Commonwealth v. Gonsalves and opinions on contract and constitutional issues cited by the speakers. Former clerks described his combination of rigor, warmth and openness to changing his views in light of better reasoning.
Logistics and closing
The court asked that the memorial be entered into the court records and invited attendees to a reception after the sitting. The court thanked staff who helped arrange the memorial, including Clerk Maura Looney and other court administrative and facilities personnel.
The memorial sitting concluded with the court’s formal adjournment.
