Merrick Garland's Family Is An Impressive Bunch

When someone is considered for a spot on the highest court in the land, it's unsurprising that one would want to know everything about them. Where do they fall on the political spectrum? What's their career background? But it's not all professional questions you're probably wondering — a person's family says a ton about who they are. So, who is Merrick Garland's family? With the possibility that the U.S. Court of Appeals chief justice for the D.C. district could be joining the Supreme Court, it's vital information to know.

Garland's parents, Cyril and Shirley, raised him in Chicago, where Cyril owned Garland Advertising and Shirley worked as director of volunteer services at the Council for Jewish Elderly. Garland married his wife, Lynn, in 1987. Lynn has some serious judicial ties of her own — her father worked as a partner in a New York law firm, and her grandfather was a justice on the New York Supreme Court.

Both Lynn and Merrick Garland graduated from Harvard University. They have two daughters, who took a different track from their parents and graduated from Yale. Jessica clearly has some legal inklings, having been part of the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, while Rebecca reportedly works as a consultant for Trinity Partners in Boston.

And he clearly loves his family very much. While speaking at an international law conference, Garland said, "They tell you in Washington that if you want a friend, get a dog. Harry Truman said that. That is not true. Get a family. This is a hard place to be. No matter how much honor you have, people will attack you one way or the other. And the principle solace that you get is from your family. Because they’re behind you no matter what happens. So never forget about that. Whatever interests you have in your career, you have to balance it with a deep relationship with your family.” That's a sweet notion that says a lot about who Garland is.