The Beatification of St. Stephen

“He is trilingual … He reads Proust in the original French, and he has even studied architecture … he taught himself Spanish … From his youth as an Eagle Scout to digging ditches for Pacific Gas & Electric in high school to working as a janitor for the San Francisco school system, he has shared in the American experience, and he has been affected by it.” — Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.)

“Stephen Breyer is not only a husband and father of three. He is a gourmet cook. He is a bird watcher, an avid reader, a student of philosophy and a speed typist.” — Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)

“I want to mention Judge Breyer’s extraordinary family. His wife Joanna, a psychologist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, counsels children with terminal cancer and their families. Steve and Joanna’s older daughter Chloe recently graduated from Harvard and now edits a magazine called Who Cares?, which promotes public service by young adults. Obviously the apple did not fall far from the tree. Their youngest daughter Nell recently graduated from Yale. And their son Michael has completed his freshman year at Stanford.” — Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.)