Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland and
eight other judges were honored at the Massachusetts Judges
Conference Annual Meeting in November.
At the meeting, Ireland received the President's Award for his
leadership of the judiciary. The other honorees received Judicial
Excellence Awards for their demonstrated commitment to judicial
excellence, leadership qualities on and off the bench, and ability
to maintain the highest professional and ethical standards of the
profession.
Judicial Excellence Awards were presented to:
- Hon. Terry M. Craven, First Justice, Boston Juvenile Court
- Hon. Joseph I. Dever (ret.), Former First Justice, Lynn
District Court
- Hon. Judith Fabricant, Associate Justice, Superior Court
- Hon. Dina E. Fein, First Justice, Western Division, Housing
Court
- Hon. Ellen Flatley, Associate Justice, Lynn District Court
- Hon. Mary Anne Sahagian, First Justice, Essex Probate and
Family Court
- Hon. Mitchell J. Sikora Jr., Associate Justice, Appeals
Court
- Hon. Robert N. Tochka, First Justice, Boston Municipal Court,
Dorchester Division
The Massachusetts Judges Conference aims to provide an
independent voice on behalf of judges, works to advance the
interests of judges and promotes the professional development of
judges to instill public confidence in the courts, while preserving
an independent judiciary and respect for the rule of law. The
Judicial Excellence Awards were established in 1996 under the
leadership of Probate and Family Court Judge and past Massachusetts
Judges Conference President James Sweeney.