Geraldine S. Hines
Geraldine S. Hines was a justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. She was nominated by Governor Deval Patrick on June 13, 2014, to replace Justice Ralph D. Gants, who was elevated to chief justice. She was approved by the Governor's Council on July 9, and sworn in on July 31.[1] Justices in Massachusetts serve until the age of 70.[2] Hines was the first black female justice to join the court.[3] She retired from the bench on August 18, 2017.[4]
Hines was previously a judge on the Massachusetts Appeals Court from 2013 to 2014. She was nominated by Governor Patrick in January 2013. She succeeded James McHugh.[5]
Education
Hines earned her B.A. from Tougaloo College in 1968 and her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1971.[5]
Career
- 2014-2017: Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- 2013-2014: Judge, Massachusetts Appeals Court
- 2009-2013: Regional administrative judge - civil business, Suffolk County
- 2001-2013: Associate justice, Massachusetts Superior Court
- 1971-2001: Attorney in private practice[5]
Noteworthy cases
Lunn v. Commonwealth
On July 24, 2017, a unanimous Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that Massachusetts law does not authorize state court officials to detain someone based solely on a request by federal immigration authorities.[6] Federal authorities make that request using a civil immigration detainer. As the federal government acknowledged, the court wrote, civil immigration detainers “are simply requests. They are not commands, and they impose no mandatory obligations on the State authorities to which they are directed.” Therefore, the court said, the question was whether state law authorized court officials to detain someone based solely on a civil detainer. Noting the specific circumstances under which state laws empower court officials to arrest or detain someone, the court ruled that “Massachusetts law provides no authority for Massachusetts court officers to arrest and hold an individual solely on the basis of a Federal civil immigration detainer, beyond the time that the individual would otherwise be entitled to be released from State custody.”[6]
See also
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- Judges appointed by Deval Patrick
- Judicial selection in Massachusetts
- News: Judge Hines nominated to Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, June 17, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Gazettenet.com, "Geraldine Hines to join state’s highest court as first black justice," July 9, 2014
- ↑ Governor Deval Patrick, "Governor Patrick announces nomination of experienced jurist Geraldine S. Hines to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court," June 13, 2014
- ↑ Gavel Grab, "Historic Nomination Announced for Massachusetts High Court," June 16, 2014
- ↑ Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, "SJC’s Hines to retire in August," July 3, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 West Roxbury Patch, "West Roxbury's Elizabeth Heffernan Judicial District Court Nominee," January 6, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Massachusetts Supreme Court, Lunn v. Commonwealth Slip opinion, filed July 24, 2017
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
