The honorees this year included Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, ABA President Bill Robinson, Judge Richard Leon, and other Washington figures. This year I was particularly pleased to be honored with one of my colleagues, Sean Murphy, who has been nominated to join the prestigious International Law Commission and has handled an array of important international legal disputes.
I am always touched to hear the Irish accents and stories because they remind me of my father, Jack Turley. Turleys are found in Northern Ireland and the counties Down and Armagh. I hear on occasion from Turleys in Ireland, who have informed me of such tidbits as a Turley who died on the Titantic and other clan lore. I was told that the family motto translates to “Consider the End” — which was described as a somewhat depressing but quintessentially Irish thought.
Much thanks to The Irish Voice and its editor Niall O’Dowd. O’Dowd told a wonderful story about famed Irish lawyer Daniel O’Connell who once took the case of a man accused of stealing shoes. He was so good in court that the jury declared his client not guilty but said he should return the shoes. Now that is an Irish lawyer to be proud of.
To my fellow honorees and the Turley clan, I say Éirinn go Brách.
Jonathan Turley