By Paul Tuthill
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-937777.mp3
Springfield, MA – Confirmation hearings began in Boston today on Roderick Ireland's nomination as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He would be the first black chief justice. The hearings began coincidently on the 55th anniversary of the event that sparked the modern Civil Rights Movement. That event was commemorated today in justice Ireland's hometown Springfield . WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports .