Mass. Justice Greaney stepping down in December

BOSTON—Supreme Judicial Court Justice John Greaney is giving up his day job at the end of the year.

Greaney, who has served on the state's highest court for nearly 20 years, is stepping down on Dec. 1 to join the faculty of Suffolk University Law School.

Greaney turns 70 in April 2009, the mandatory retirement age for SJC justices.

Greaney authored several key rulings by the court.

In 2006, Greaney wrote the SJC decision after the court found lawmakers defied the state constitution by refusing to vote on a proposed amendment that would ban gay marriage.

He was appointed to the state's highest court in 1989 by former Gov. Michael Dukakis. Before that he served as chief justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.