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Courts in Massachusetts
| More information on Massachusetts's state courts: |
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| Selection methods Elections Salaries Federal courts |
In Massachusetts, there is one federal district court, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.
Click a link for information about that court type.
The image below depicts the flow of cases through the Massachusetts state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.
Judicial selection process
Justices and judges in Massachusetts do not participate in judicial elections. Instead, they are chosen via gubernatorial appointment and confirmed by the Governor's Council. Judges on the Supreme Judicial Court and Court of Appeals are not subject to terms, but instead serve until the age of 70.[1]
Massachusetts is one of seven states without judicial elections. There are also six states with judicial retention elections, 23 states that have nonpartisan or partisan judicial elections, and 14 states with partisan or nonpartisan judicial elections and retention elections.
To read more about judicial elections in Massachusetts, click here.
Federal courts
The federal district court in Massachusetts is the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Appeals from this district go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit.
Active judges
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 24, 1993 - |
Stanford University, 1968 |
Harvard Law, 1976 |
||
| December 20, 2010 - |
Wesleyan University, 1990 |
Harvard Law School, 1994 |
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| May 12, 2014 - |
Harvard, 1982 |
University of California, Berkeley, 1988 |
||
| June 5, 2014 - |
American International College, 1986 |
Western New England College of Law, 1989 |
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| June 10, 2014 - |
Yale College, 1983 |
Columbia Law School, 1991 |
||
| December 19, 2014 - |
Middlebury College, 1983 |
University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1988 |
||
| September 15, 2021 - |
Colgate University, 1989 |
Georgetown University Law Center, 1992 |
||
| March 3, 2023 - |
Clark University, 1989 |
Boston University School of Law, 1992 |
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| July 14, 2023 - |
University of Massachusetts, Boston |
Suffolk University |
||
| November 13, 2023 - |
Harvard University, 2005 |
Harvard Law School, 2010 |
||
| December 6, 2024 - |
College of the Holy Cross, 2002 |
Columbia Law School, 2006 |
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democratic appointed: 11
- Republican appointed: 0
Judicial selection
Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, click here.
Bankruptcy courts
There is one federal bankruptcy court in Massachusetts. This court has subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy court in Massachusetts is:
State supreme court
- See also: Massachusetts Supreme Court
Founded in 1692, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The chief of the court is Kimberly S. Budd, who was confirmed to the position on November 18, 2020. The court is the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere. Originally called the Superior Court of Judicature, it was established in 1692. The court's name was changed to its current one by the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780.[2] The supreme judicial court hears appeals for a broad range of criminal and civil cases. The court is also responsible for oversight of the judiciary and the bar, and operations of the courts. The supreme judicial council has varying supervisory responsibilities over the Board of Bar Overseers, Commission on Judicial Conduct, Board of Bar Examiners, Clients Security Board, Legal Assistance Corporation, Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, and Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts. [3][4]
Unusually, the supreme judicial council may also provide advisory opinions, upon request to the governor and the state legislature. Between 1780-1990 the court issued 364 advisory opinions, 39% initiated by the state house, 31% by the senate, 8% by the governor, 8% requested jointly by both the house and senate, 12% jointly by the governor and governor's council, and 2% by the council alone. The requests can be broken down to five broad topic categories including institutional power, procedures, federal power, potential impact of certain legislative or constitutional changes, and the effect of existing legislation or constitutional provisions.[5][6]
As of April 2024, one judge on the court was appointed by a Democratic governor and six judges were appointed by a Republican governor.
The following judges sit on the court:
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Elizabeth Dewar | Nonpartisan | January 12, 2024 | Maura Healey (D) |
| Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Frank M. Gaziano | Nonpartisan | August 18, 2016 | Charles D. Baker (R) |
| Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Serge Georges Jr. | Nonpartisan | December 16, 2020 | Charles D. Baker (R) |
| Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Scott L. Kafker | Nonpartisan | August 21, 2017 | Charles D. Baker (R) |
| Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Dalila Wendlandt | Nonpartisan | December 4, 2020 | Charles D. Baker (R) |
| Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Gabrielle R. Wolohojian | Nonpartisan | April 22, 2024 | Maura Healey (D) |
| Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice | Kimberly S. Budd | Nonpartisan | December 1, 2020 | Charles D. Baker (R) |
State court of appeals
- See also: Massachusetts Appeals Court
The Massachusetts Appeals Court is the intermediate appellate court in Massachusetts. Justices of the appeals court review decisions from the trial courts, as well as decisions of state agencies such as the Appellate Tax Board, Commonwealth Employment Relations Board, and Industrial Accidents Board. Appeals court justices only review decisions for errors of law and whether those errors affected the outcome of the case. They do not retry cases or make factual determinations.[7][8] Click here for more information about the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
The following judges sit on the court:
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
2016 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
2016 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
December 22, 2015 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
December 6, 2017 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
2019 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
March 7, 2006 - Present |
Mitt Romney |
|
|
January 15, 2008 - Present |
Deval Patrick |
|
|
December 22, 2006 - Present |
Mitt Romney |
|
|
September 20, 2014 - Present |
Deval Patrick |
|
|
December 15, 2015 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
2016 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
April 19, 2017 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
July 5, 2017 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
2021 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
October 16, 2020 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
July 28, 2025 - Present |
Maura Healey |
|
|
2022 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
2022 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
May 17, 2021 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
July 24, 2022 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
November 16, 2022 - Present |
Charles D. Baker |
|
|
December 4, 2024 - Present |
Maura Healey |
|
|
December 4, 2024 - Present |
Maura Healey |
|
|
September 9, 2014 - Present |
Deval Patrick |
|
|
December 22, 2023 - Present |
Maura Healey |
Trial courts
Superior court
- See also: Massachusetts Superior Courts
The Massachusetts Superior Court has original jurisdiction in criminal cases, civil actions over $50,000, and labor disputes. It also has exclusive original jurisdiction over first-degree murder cases and exclusive authority to call medical malpractice tribunals.[9]
District courts
- See also: Massachusetts District Courts
The district courts are trial courts in Massachusetts that have jurisdiction over felonies punishable by less than five years, small claims involving less than $7,000, and civil cases involving less than $50,000. The courts also hear juvenile, mental health, and housing cases.[10] Many counties in the state have multiple district courts.[11][12]
Housing courts
- See also: Massachusetts Housing Courts
The Massachusetts housing courts handle cases involving residential housing. Matters related to commercial property are not within the jurisdiction of this court. Eviction cases, small claims cases, consumer protection cases, and civil matters involving the health, safety, or welfare of the occupants or owners of residential housing, including personal injury, property damage, breach of contract and discrimination cases, are handled in this court.[13]
Juvenile courts
- See also: Massachusetts Juvenile Courts
The juvenile courts have jurisdiction over cases such as delinquency, adoption, and child protection services.[14]
Land courts
- See also: Massachusetts Land Courts
The land courts have statewide jurisdiction over real estate and land use cases. The courts also administer the state's system for registering titles to real property.[15]
Probate & family courts
- See also: Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts
The probate and family courts have jurisdiction over family matters such as divorce, child support, custody, adoption, and wills.[16]
Boston municipal courts
- See also: Boston Municipal Courts, Massachusetts
The Boston Municipal Courts are trial courts in Boston, Massachusetts. The court system includes 30 judges spanning eight divisions. It has jurisdiction over both civil and criminal cases. The court can also review certain actions of government agencies, including unemployment compensation and firearms license decisions.[17]
In other states
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Massachusetts," archived October 6, 2014
- ↑ Massachusetts Court System, "About the Supreme Judicial Court," accessed January 29, 2015
- ↑ Mass.gov,"About the Supreme Judicial Court," accessed June 19, 2024
- ↑ Mass.gov,"Affiliated Entities of the Supreme Judicial Court," accessed June 19, 2024
- ↑ Western New England Law Review,"The Oldest Court of Continuous Existence in the Western Hemisphere," accessed June 19, 2024
- ↑ Mass.gov,"About the Supreme Judicial Court," accessed June 19, 2024
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Massachusetts Appeals Court," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Mass.gov, "General Information About the Appeals Court," accessed March 8, 2021
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Superior Court," accessed March 8, 2021
- ↑ Mass.gov, "District Court," accessed August 1, 2019
- ↑ Mass.gov, "District Court Locations," accessed August 1, 2019
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Jurisdiction of the District Court Department," accessed March 8, 2021
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Housing Court," accessed March 8, 2021
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Juvenile Court," accessed March 8, 2021
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Land Court," accessed March 8, 2021
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Probate & Family Court Department," accessed March 14, 2015
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Boston Municipal Court," accessed March 8, 2021
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Massachusetts • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Massachusetts
State courts:
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court • Massachusetts Appeals Court • Massachusetts Superior Courts • Massachusetts District Courts • Massachusetts Housing Courts • Massachusetts Juvenile Courts • Massachusetts Land Courts • Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts • Boston Municipal Courts, Massachusetts
State resources:
Courts in Massachusetts • Massachusetts judicial elections • Judicial selection in Massachusetts
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