Ethan V. Torrey, Legal Counsel of the Supreme Court of the United States, delivered a lecture titled "The Supreme Court and Judicial Independence in the Early Republic" at the historic Old Ship Meeting House in Hingham, Massachusetts, on October 25, 2025. The event was hosted by the Friends of Old Ship Meeting House.
In his presentation, Torrey explored the Supreme Court’s early history and the development of judicial independence from the Declaration of Independence through the Chief Justiceship of John Marshall. He discussed the contributions of early Massachusetts justices, including William Cushing of Scituate, one of the Court’s original members appointed in 1789, and Joseph Story of Marblehead, who served from 1812 to 1845. Both were Harvard graduates whose influence helped shape the young nation’s legal foundations.
The program drew attendees from the local community and beyond to the Old Ship Meeting House, a National Historic Landmark built in 1681 and the only surviving Puritan meeting house from the 17th century. Following the lecture, guests enjoyed refreshments at nearby Ames Chapel.
A graduate of Hingham High School and the University of Pennsylvania, Torrey earned his MA in History and JD from Columbia University. Before joining the Supreme Court, he practiced law at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP and Ropes & Gray LLP, served as a Special Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County, and clerked on both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He also teaches a course on the history of the Supreme Court at George Washington University.
Torrey’s remarks offered historical context for the evolving concept of judicial independence as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, emphasizing how the principles established in the early republic continue to shape the Court’s role today.