Trial Court Chief Justice Paula M. Carey recently announced the reappointment of Hon. Paul C. Dawley as chief justice of the District Court for a five-year term effective Sept. 1, 2018. Dawley has served on the District Court since 2001, and as chief justice of the department since his initial appointment on Sept. 1, 2013.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Dawley worked as a prosecutor in the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, serving as deputy first assistant district attorney, where he was responsible for the prosecution and investigation of homicide and major felony cases. He was previously the regional administrative judge for District Court Region 2, which includes all of Norfolk County and some courts in Bristol and Plymouth counties, and served as the first justice of the Brockton District Court. Dawley is a graduate of Boston College High School, Tufts University and Suffolk University Law School.
The District Court Department is comprised of 62 divisions with 158 authorized judicial positions across the Commonwealth. The Massachusetts Trial Court includes seven court departments with 385 judges who deliver justice in 99 courthouses across the state.