Beckie & Jessie Garland, Merrick’s Daughters: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Merrick Garland and his wife and daughters

(White House file photo)

Federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland is President Barack Obama’s nominee to fill late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat on the Supreme. For Garland, third time’s a charm since he was almost nominated two times before. Garland has two daughters, Beckie and Jessie. Who are Merrick Garland’s children and what do they do? How are they reacting to their dad’s nomination?

Here’s what you need to know.


1. Merrick Has Two Daughters, Beckie and Jessie Garland

Merrick Garland has two daughters, Beckie and Jessie Garland, with his wife Lynn Rosenman Garland. Both daughters are recent graduates of Yale University. They both also went to Sidwell Friends in Bethesda, a very exclusive school where President Obama’s daughters also attend.


2. Rebecca Garland Works in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Rebecca Garland LinkedIn

(LinkedIn)

Rebecca graduated cum laude from Yale with a degree in psychology. She now works for Trinity Partners, a Boston pharmaceutical consulting firm, according to her LinkedIn profile. She’s been with Trinity Partners since 2014. Before that, she was a counselor with Seeds of Peace and a family advocate with Health Leads. She also has a lifeguard certification and speaks Spanish.


3. Rebecca Was Hiking and Out of Cell Phone Range When Obama Called Her With the News

Merrick Garland and family

Merrick Garland and his family. (White House)

When the official announcement was made by President Obama that he was nominating Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, his daughter Rebecca had no idea. She was out hiking and out of cell phone range when Obama tried to call her. Merrick Garland jokingly said, “I only wish we hadn’t taught our daughter to be so adventurous that she would be out of cell service range when the president called,” The Guardian reported.


4. Jessica Garland Has Worked On Youth Imprisonment and Mass Incarceration Issues

Jessica Garland is very active in political and legal issues. She was co-president of the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, which works on reducing recidivism and promoting dialogue about mass incarceration, the project’s website explains. Jessica also testified before the Connecticut legislature in support of a juvenile justice reform bill. In 2013, she interned with the Vera Institute of Justice. In the summer of 2015, she studied Chinese in Harbin city in China and blogged about her experience.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Jessica is currently a graduate student at Cambridge University, but she was able to attend the announcement about her dad’s nomination.


5. Merrick Often Speaks Warmly About His Family

jessica garland

Lynn Garland, wife of federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland, and his daughter, Jessie, watch as President Obama announces Garland as his Supreme Court nominee. (Getty)

Merrick loves his wife and daughters and often speaks warmly about them. Merrick Garland and his wife, Lynn, have been married since 1987. While speaking at the Rose Garden after being announced as the nominee, Garland said it was the second greatest honor in his life, only to his wife deciding to marry him.

When he spoke at an international law conference, Garland talked about how much he loves his family, The National Law Journal and Bustle reported. He 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.”