Massachusetts Appeals Court

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The Appeals Court is located in the John Adams Courthouse OldSuffolkCMaCourt.JPG
The Appeals Court is located in the John Adams Courthouse

The Massachusetts Appeals Court is the intermediate appellate court of Massachusetts. [1] It was created in 1972 [2] as a court of general appellate jurisdiction. [3] The court is located at the John Adams Courthouse at Pemberton Square in Boston, [4] the same building which houses the Supreme Judicial Court and the Social Law Library. [5]

Contents

Jurisdiction

The Appeals Court hears most appeals from the seven court departments of the Massachusetts Trial Court, including the Superior, District, Probate and Family, Juvenile, Land, Housing, and Boston Municipal Court departments. [6] [7] The Appeals Court also hears appeals from final decisions of certain Massachusetts administrative agencies, including the Department of Industrial Accidents, the Appellate Tax Board, and the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board. [8]

Some types of appeals are not heard before the Appeals Court. For example, an appeal from a conviction of first degree murder goes directly to the Supreme Judicial Court. [9] The Supreme Judicial Court can also elect to bypass review by the Appeals Court and hear a case on "direct appellate review." [10] [11] In the District Court Department, appeals in certain civil cases are made first to the Appellate Division of the District Court before being eligible for appeal to the Appeals Court. [12] After a decision by the Appeals Court, a party may seek "further appellate review" by requesting review by the Supreme Judicial Court. [13]

Proceedings

The Appeals Court usually hears cases in three-judge panels, which rotate so that every judge has an opportunity to sit with every other judge. [14] In addition to its panel sittings, the Appeals Court runs a continuous "single justice" session, with a separate docket. The single justice may review interlocutory orders and orders for injunctive relief issued by certain Trial Court departments, as well as requests for review of summary process appeal bonds, certain attorney's fee awards, motions for stays (postponement) of civil proceedings or criminal sentences pending appeal, and motions to review impoundment orders. Each associate justice sits as single justice for a month at a time. [15] Appeals are heard from September through July at the John Adams Courthouse as well as at special sessions held at various locations such as law schools throughout Massachusetts. [16]

Justices

Twenty-five justices sit on the Appeals Court: one chief justice and twenty-four associate justices. The most recent chief justice of the Appeals Court was Mark V. Green. [17]

If a Massachusetts appellate justice (that is, a justice of either the Appeals Court or of the Supreme Judicial Court) attains age 70 and retires, that justice may be recalled to active service on the Appeals Court as needed. Currently, no recall justices are serving. [18] [19]

The court's current members, listed by seniority, are as follows: [20]

JusticeAppointedAppointed byLaw school
Amy L. Blake, Chief Justice2014 [a] Maura Healey (D) [b] New England
Ariane D. Vuono2006 Mitt Romney (R) Connecticut
William J. Meade2006 Mitt Romney (R) Western New England
Peter J. Rubin2008 Deval Patrick (D) Harvard
Gregory I. Massing2014 Deval Patrick (D) Virginia
Eric Neyman2015 Charlie Baker (R) Boston University
Vickie L. Henry2015 Charlie Baker (R)Boston University
Kenneth V. Desmond Jr. 2016 Charlie Baker (R) Boston College
Peter W. Sacks2016 Charlie Baker (R)Harvard
Sookyoung Shin2016 Charlie Baker (R)Harvard
Joseph M. Ditkoff2017 Charlie Baker (R)Harvard
Sabita Singh 2017 Charlie Baker (R)Boston University
John C. Englander2017 Charlie Baker (R)Boston University
Kathryn E. Hand2019 Charlie Baker (R)Boston College
Marguerite T. Grant2020 Charlie Baker (R) Stanford
Maureen E. Walsh2021 Charlie Baker (R)Western New England
Rachel E. Hershfang2021 Charlie Baker (R) Yale
Robert A. Brennan2022 Charlie Baker (R)Boston University
Andrew M. D'Angelo2022 Charlie Baker (R) Suffolk
Paul Hart Smyth2022 Charlie Baker (R)Virginia
Christopher P. Hodgens2022 Charlie Baker (R)New England
Robert Toone2023 Maura Healey (D)Yale
Gloria Tan2024 Maura Healey (D)Yale
Chauncy Wood2024 Maura Healey (D)Boston University
Jennifer M. Allen2025 Maura Healey (D)Boston College
  1. Took office as chief justice in November 2024
  2. Originally appointed as an associate justice by Deval Patrick (D)

Former justices:

The following justices have been elevated from the Appeals Court to the Supreme Judicial Court

References

  1. "Appeals Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  2. "Appeals Court History". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  3. "General Information About the Appeals Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  4. "Appeals Court History". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  5. "John Adams Courthouse". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  6. "Appeals Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  7. "Executive Office of the Trial Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  8. "Appeals Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  9. "General Information About the Appeals Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  10. "General Information About the Appeals Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  11. "Clerk's guide to filing cases in the Supreme Judicial Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  12. "General Information About the Appeals Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  13. "Further Appellate Review". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  14. "General Information About the Appeals Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  15. "General Information About the Appeals Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  16. "General Information About the Appeals Court". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  17. "Chief Justice Mark V. Green". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  18. "Section 24". www.malegislature.gov.
  19. "Section 16". www.malegislature.gov.
  20. "Appeals Court Justices". Mass.gov. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  21. "Associate Justice Peter W. Agnes, Jr". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Massachusetts Court System". Mass.gov.
  23. "Legal challenges come from all directions".
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Opinion Portal". Mass.gov.
  25. "Associate Justice Susan S. Beck". Mass.gov.
  26. "Susan S. Beck". Mass.gov.
  27. McCabe, Kathy (March 8, 2009). "Susan Beck, political activist became Appeals Court judge". Boston.com via The Boston Globe.
  28. "Susan Beck Obituary – Boston, MA | Boston Globe". Legacy.com .
  29. "Associate Justice Janis M. Berry". Mass.gov.
  30. "Associate Justice Frederick L. Brown". Mass.gov.
  31. "Long Road-Frederick L. Brown". www.masshist.org.
  32. "Associate Justice Judd J. Carhart". Mass.gov.
  33. "Associate Justice Cynthia J. Cohen". Mass.gov.
  34. "Associate Justice William I. Cowin". Mass.gov.
  35. "Associate Justice Gordon L. Doerfer". Mass.gov.
  36. "Associate Justice Raya S. Dreben". Mass.gov. July 16, 2013.
  37. "Associate Justice Francis R. Fecteau". Mass.gov.
  38. "Associate Justice J. Harold Flannery". Mass.gov. July 16, 2013.
  39. "Associate Justice Andre A. Gelinas". Mass.gov.
  40. Marquard, Bryan (November 23, 2011). "Gerald Gillerman, 86, judge known for concise decisions". Boston.com via The Boston Globe.
  41. "Gerald GILLERMAN's Obituary on Boston Globe". Boston Globe.
  42. "Associate Justice R. Malcolm Graham". Mass.gov. July 16, 2013.
  43. "Associate Justice Andrew R. Grainger". Mass.gov.
  44. "Associate Justice Joseph A. Grasso, Jr". Mass.gov.
  45. "Associate Justice Chief Justice Mark V. Green". Mass.gov.
  46. "Associate Justice Mel L. Greenberg". Mass.gov. July 16, 2013.
  47. "Attorneys – Seder & Chandler, LLP – Massachusetts". Seder & Chandler, LLP.
  48. sjc (October 31, 2013). "Allan M. Hale". Court System.
  49. "Associate Justice Sydney Hanlon". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  50. "Associate Justice George Jacobs". Mass.gov.
  51. "Associate Justice R. Marc Kantrowitz". Mass.gov. July 16, 2013.
  52. "Associate Justice Rudolph Kass". Mass.gov. July 16, 2013.
  53. "ALLEN vs. BATCHELDER, 17 Mass. App. Ct. 453". masscases.com.
  54. "Rudolph Kass". The Mediation Group.
  55. "REBA: Professional Profile: The Hon. Rudolph Kass (Ret.)". Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  56. "Associate Justice Gary S. Katzmann". Mass.gov. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  57. "Associate Justice Edmund V. Keville". Mass.gov.
  58. "Associate Justice C. Jeffrey Kinder".
  59. "Associate Justice C. Jeffrey Kinder". Mass.gov. December 3, 2015.
  60. "Associate Justice Kenneth Laurence". Mass.gov.
  61. "Associate Justice James Lemire".
  62. "Associate Justice James Lemire". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  63. "Associate Justice John H. Mason". Mass.gov.
  64. "Associate Justice Edward McDonough". Mass.gov.
  65. "Associate Justice James F. McHugh, III". Mass.gov.
  66. "Associate Justice James R. Milkey". Mass.gov.
  67. "Associate Justice David A. Mills". Mass.gov.
  68. 1 2 "Associate Justice Joseph R. Nolan". Mass.gov.
  69. "Obituary: Joseph R. Nolan". Belmont, MA Patch. April 27, 2013.
  70. "Joseph R. Nolan". Mass.gov.
  71. "Joseph Nolan; SJC justice known as social conservative – The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  72. "Associate Justice Elizabeth Porada". Mass.gov. July 16, 2013.
  73. "Francis J. Quirico". Mass.gov.
  74. "Recall Justice Francis J. Quirico". Mass.gov.
  75. "OLSON, COMMONWEALTH vs., 24 Mass. App. Ct. 539". masscases.com.
  76. "POND, COMMONWEALTH vs., 24 Mass. App. Ct. 546". masscases.com.
  77. "PORRAZZO, COMMONWEALTH vs., 25 Mass. App. Ct. 169". masscases.com.
  78. "Chief Justice Phillip Rapoza". Mass.gov. July 16, 2013.
  79. "Associate Justice David A. Rose". Mass.gov. July 16, 2013.
  80. "Associate Justice Mitchell J. Sikora, Jr". Mass.gov. July 16, 2013.
  81. "Retired Massachusettts Appeals Court Judge Kent Smith of Longmeadow dies at age 85". November 2012.
  82. "Associate Justice Mary Thomas Sullivan".
  83. "Associate Justice Joseph A. Trainor". Mass.gov.
  84. "Future 2018 and 2019 retirements". Mass.gov.
  85. "Associate Justice Dalila Wendlandt". Mass.gov.
  86. 1 2 "Associate Justice Gabrielle R. Wolohojian". Mass.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  87. "Associate Justice Elspeth B. Cypher". Mass.gov.
  88. "Associate Justice Fernande R.V. Duffly". Mass.gov.
  89. "Chief Justice John M. Greaney". Mass.gov.
  90. "Associate Justice Geraldine S. Hines". Mass.gov.
  91. "Associate Justice Roderick L. Ireland". Mass.gov.
  92. "Chief Justice Scott L. Kafker". Mass.gov.
  93. "Associate Justice Barbara A. Lenk". Mass.gov.
  94. "Associate Justice Francis X. Spina". Mass.gov.
  95. "Associate Justice Dalila Wendlandt". Mass.gov.

42°21′34″N71°03′40″W / 42.359343°N 71.061160°W / 42.359343; -71.061160