The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania,the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Americas,with a recognized history dating to the establishment of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature in 1692 under the charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay.
The Massachusetts Appeals Court is the intermediate appellate court of Massachusetts. It was created in 1972 as a court of general appellate jurisdiction. The court is located at the John Adams Courthouse at Pemberton Square in Boston,the same building which houses the Supreme Judicial Court and the Social Law Library.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is governed by a set of political tenets laid down in its state constitution. Legislative power is held by the bicameral General Court,which is composed of the Senate and House of Representatives. The governor exercises executive power with other independently elected officers:the Attorney General,Secretary of the Commonwealth,and Auditor. The state's judicial power rests in the Supreme Judicial Court,which manages its court system. Cities and towns act through local governmental bodies to the extent that they are authorized by the Commonwealth on local issues,including limited home-rule authority. Although most county governments were abolished during the 1990s and 2000s,a handful remain.
Francis Patrick O'Connor was an American lawyer and jurist from Massachusetts. He was long-time associate justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court who was noted for his frequent and thorough dissents.
Roderick L. Ireland is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts,and the first African American to serve that position. He was nominated for Chief Justice by Governor Deval Patrick on November 4,2010,and sworn in on December 20. He retired from service on the court on July 25,2014.
Fernande R. V. Duffly is an American lawyer and jurist from Massachusetts. She was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick in December 2010 to serve as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Patrick nominated her following the elevation of Roderick L. Ireland as Chief Justice on the court. Her nomination was confirmed 4-3 by the Governor's Council on January 26,2011. She was sworn in on February 1,2011. She is the first Asian American to serve on the court. She retired on July 12,2016.
Barbara A. Lenk is an American attorney and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. On April 4,2011,Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick nominated her to that position and she was confirmed by the Governor's Council on May 4,2011. She took the oath of office on June 8,2011.
Judith Cathy Arnold Cowin is a retired justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Ralph D. Gants was an American attorney and jurist who served as the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He was sworn in on July 28,2014. Gants had previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney.
Beth Robinson is an American lawyer and judge from Vermont. She is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and is the first openly lesbian judge to serve on any federal court of appeals. Robinson served as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 2011 to 2021.
The judiciary of Massachusetts is the branch of the government of Massachusetts that interprets and applies the law of Massachusetts,ensures equal justice under law,and provides a mechanism for dispute resolution. The judicial power in Massachusetts is reposed in the Supreme Judicial Court,which superintends the entire system of courts.
Geraldine S. Hines is an American retired judge who formerly served served as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 2014 to 2017. She was nominated in July 2014 by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and confirmed by an 8–0 vote of the Governor's Council. She succeeded Ralph D. Gants,who was promoted to chief justice.
Scott Lewis Kafker is an associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and the former Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
David A. Lowy is an American attorney,academic and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.
Kimberly S. Budd is the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and former justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court.
Dalila Argaez Wendlandt is an American lawyer who has served as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court since 2020. She previously served as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court from 2017 to 2020.
Elizabeth Napier "Bessie" Dewar is an American lawyer who has served as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court since 2024. She previously served as the state solicitor of Massachusetts from 2016 to 2024. Prior to serving as the state solicitor,she had served as the assistant state solicitor under former state solicitor Peter Sacks.
