On Friday, April 7, Trial Court Chief Justice Paula
M. Carey will host the opening ceremony of the Franklin County
Justice Center. In addition to Chief Justice Carey, speakers will
include Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, Senate President Stanley
C. Rosenberg, Trial Court Administrator Harry Spence, Commissioner
of the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance Carol
Gladstone, Representative Stephen Kulik of the 1st Franklin
District, Representative Paul Mark of the 2nd Berkshire District,
Representative Susannah Whipps of the 2nd Franklin District,
Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, Franklin County
Bar Association Chair John Stobierski, and Greenfield District
Court First Justice William F. Mazanec. Franklin County Register of
Probate John F. Merrigan will deliver welcoming remarks.
The renovation of the Franklin County Justice
Center began in 2014. The new courthouse incorporates the historic
1932 façade of the original building with a 104,000 square foot,
three-story addition. The Justice Center's six courtrooms include
updated technological capabilities to allow for hearings to be
conducted by video conference and newly installed recording
equipment for court proceedings. The courthouse will also offer
WiFi for visitors. The expanded building houses five court
departments: Juvenile, Superior, District, Housing, and Probate and
Family Courts, as well as the Law Library, Court Service Center,
and Registry of Deeds.
WHERE:
Franklin County Justice Center
43 Hope Street, Greenfield, MA 01301
WHEN:
Friday, April 7, 2017
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Judge George A. O'Toole Jr. to become Senior Judge of U.S. District
Court
Judge George A. O'Toole Jr. of the United States District Court
of the District of Massachusetts has advised President Trump that
he will become a Senior Judge as of January 1, 2018. Judge O'Toole
received his commission from President Clinton in 1995.
Chief Judge Patti B. Saris said: "When Judge O'Toole became a
federal judge in 1995, he brought to our court a wealth of
experience as a state judge, as well as a private litigator.
Throughout his career, he has epitomized the learned, careful,
fair-minded judge. He has presided over some of the District's most
important cases, including most prominently the Boston Marathon
bombing trial. Luckily for all of us, Judge O'Toole will continue
to serve as a senior judge on the court."
Throughout his tenure on the court, Judge O'Toole has been active
in judicial administration. At the local level, he has served at
various times as the court's liaison judge to the magistrate
judges, the pretrial services office, the pro se staff attorneys,
and the media. He is currently a member of the court's internal
committee on information technology. At the national level, he has
served as a member of the Judicial Conference Committee on Security
and Facilities (1999 to 2005) and Committee on Judicial Security
(2005 to 2007). He is currently a member of the Committee on the
Administration of the Magistrate Judges System.
Judge O'Toole has been a frequent participant and presenter at
educational panels sponsored by the Administrative Office of the
U.S. Courts, the Federal Judicial Center, law schools, bar
associations, and similar organizations. He is a member of the
Boston Intellectual Property American Inn of Court, currently
serving as its vice president.
Prior to joining the federal bench, Judge O'Toole served as an
associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court (1990 to
1995) and the Boston Municipal Court (1982 to 1990). Before that he
was engaged in the private practice of law as a litigator with the
Boston firm of Hale and Dorr, now WilmerHale. He is a graduate of
the Harvard Law School. He earned his baccalaureate degree from
Boston College.
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Miriam Conrad reappointed Federal Public Defender for the Districts
of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island
Chief Judge Jeffrey R. Howard of the United States Court of
Appeals for the First Circuit has announced that Miriam Conrad has
been reappointed to a fourth term as Federal Public Defender for
the Districts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode
Island.
Conrad has served as Federal Public Defender since 2005. Before
her appointment to this role, she served as an Assistant Federal
Public Defender in the Massachusetts office from 1992 to 2005.
Conrad received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1987.
First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David J. Barron, Chair of the
Reappointment Committee, stated that "the First Circuit Court of
Appeals is confident that Ms. Conrad will continue to serve
expertly the Districts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode
Island as Federal Public Defender." Chief Judge Howard expressed
his gratitude to Judge Barron for serving as Chair of the Committee. The Chief Judge also sincerely
thanked Professor Ronald Sullivan, Jr. of Cambridge, Massachusetts;
Jaye Rancourt, Esq. of Manchester, New Hampshire; Kara Hoopis
Manosh, Esq. of Warwick, Rhode Island; and Susan Goldberg, Circuit
Executive, for their efforts as members of the Committee.
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Notice of vacancies on the Mental Health Legal Advisors
Committee
The Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court invite applications
for appointment to the Board of Directors of the Mental Health
Legal Advisors Committee (MHLAC) for terms ending in June 2021.
MHLAC provides legal and policy advocacy to people with mental
health concerns throughout the commonwealth, with a focus on issues
related to clients' ability to remain independent and to avoid
abuse in community and institutional settings. Attorneys with
experience in the delivery of legal services to indigent persons
with mental health concerns; familiarity with clinical milieu; or
background in mental health law and civil rights advocacy, are
encouraged to apply.
Committee members attend quarterly meetings in Boston and serve
on subcommittees. One page resumes with cover letters should be
submitted by mail at Supreme Judicial Court,
John Adams Courthouse, One Pemberton Square, Boston, MA, 02108 by
May 31. If you have questions about the application process or the
position, please contact Mona or Phillip Kassel, executive
director, MHLAC.
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SJC approves amendments to Rule 55 (b) (4) of the Mass. Rules of
Civil Procedure