Merrick Garland’s Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Merrick Garland watches as he is introduced by President Obama. (Getty)

Merrick Garland watches as he is introduced by President Obama. (Getty)

Federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland will be President Barack Obama’s nominee to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court, though it is looking unlikely that he will receive a hearing from the Senate.

Garland, 63, is married with two daughters.

Here’s what you need to know about his family:


1. His Father Ran a Chicago Advertising Firm & His Mother Directed Volunteer Services at the Council for Jewish Elderly

Judge Merrick Garland speaks in the Rose Garden. (Getty)

Judge Merrick Garland speaks in the Rose Garden. (Getty)

Merrick Garland was born and raised in Lincolnwood, Illinois, according to his wedding announcement in the New York Times.

His father, Cyril Garland, ran Garland Advertising, a Chicago-based firm. His mother, Shirley Garland, was the director of volunteer services at the Council for Jewish Elderly in Chicago. Cyril Garland died in 2000.

Merrick Garland said Wednesday while speaking in the Rose Garden after he was announced as the nominee that his parents immigrated to the United States to escape anti-Semitism.

He has two sisters, Jill and Heidi.


2. His Wife Is a Graduate of Harvard & MIT

Merrick Garland married his wife, Lynn Rosenman Garland, in 1987, according to the New York Times announcement.

Lynn Garland graduated from Harvard University and then received her master’s degree from MIT. She was working for a defense contractor in Virginia at the time of their wedding.


3. He Lives With His Wife in Bethesda, Maryland

Merrick Garland. (Getty)

Merrick Garland. (Getty)

The Garlands live in a $2.1 million home in Bethesda, Maryland, according to records published by the Washington Post.

Merrick and Lynn Garland bought the five-bedroom house in 1999 for $990,000.


4. His Daughter, Rebecca, Graduated From Yale & Works in the Pharmaceuticals Industry

rebecca garland, merrick garland daughter

Rebecca Garland, Merrick Garland’s oldest daughter. (Linkedin)

Merrick Garland’s oldest daughter, Rebecca Garland, 25, graduated from Yale with a degree in psychology.

According to her Linkedin page, Rebecca Garland works as a consultant for Trinity Partners, a pharmaceutical consulting firm in Boston.

Garland, while speaking at the Rose Garden on Wednesday, said Rebecca Garland was hiking out of cell phone range when President Obama called to let her know that he was nominating her father to the Supreme Court.


5. His Other Daughter, Jessica, Also Graduated From Yale & Was Active in Juvenile Justice Reform

Garland’s youngest daughter, Jessica Garland, 23, was the co-president of the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, a student-run social justice project that aims to reduce recidivism and promote dialogue around issues connected to mass incarceration, according to its website. She can be seen above in a Yale Daily News video talking about the project.

Jessica Garland also testified before the Connecticut legislature in support of a juvenile justice reform bill.

She is now a graduate student at Cambridge University, according to her Linkedin profile.

Jessica Garland was in the Rose Garden Tuesday with her mother when President Obama introduced him as his nominee.