Issue Watch #23 – The Supreme Court’s Final Decisions and What They Mean
Supreme Court Rejects Executive Overreach, Reaffirms Birthright Citizenship
As is typical, the US Supreme Court saved many of its most consequential decisions for the last weeks before its summer break, and two of those were met with statements from the BBA.
This week President Suma V. Nair responded to the reaffirmation of the 14th Amendment’s birthright-citizenship provision by saying, “The Constitution provides mechanisms for change, but those changes must occur through lawful constitutional processes. … [T]he rule of law depends on respecting those processes and the role of the courts in interpreting and applying the Constitution. This litigation should never have been necessary. At least it has been resolved in the right way, through the courts.”
And last week, BBA President Nair said that allowing the expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for certain individuals in the US had created “significant hardship for hundreds of thousands of individuals and their families across the country, including many Massachusetts residents who have built their lives, careers, and communities here while relying on TPS.” She called on Congress to provide greater stability for those seeking protection.
The state has updated its Immigrant Resources web-page with TPS information and helpful links.
Judicial Appointments, Confirmations, & Nominations
BBF Secretary Nominated to State District Court
Governor Maura Healey has nominated Raquel Webster, secretary of the Boston Bar Foundation, for a seat on the Massachusetts District Court bench. Webster, who previously sat on the BBA Council, has been Senior Commercial Litigation Counsel at National Grid for four years, representing the company in a wide range of civil commercial litigation matters and internal investigations, after a decade as Senior Regulatory Counsel there. Before that, she was Senior Corporation Counsel in the City of Boston Law Department, where she represented the city in state and federal court in tort and employment cases. She began her legal career as a litigation associate at Bingham McCutcheon LLP in Boston, focused on representing clients in commercial litigation and securities matters. In addition to her role with the BBF, Raquel is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, Northeastern University School of Law Alumni Association, and Stone House. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a J.D. from Northeastern.
Also Nominated to the District Court
Since 2014, Thomas Johnson has served as an Assistant Clerk-Magistrate in the Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court, where he conducts show-cause hearings, reviews search-warrant applications, assists judges in managing courtroom sessions, and helps court users navigate the system. He was previously an Assistant Attorney General in the AGO’s Fair Labor Division, responsible for enforcing state labor laws, including non-payment of wages, overtime, minimum wage, and child labor laws, and before that operated a solo practice in which he represented clients in both civil and criminal matters in the District and Superior Courts. He began his career as an ADA in Worcester County, prosecuting cases in the District and Juvenile Courts. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Suffolk University Law School.
Confirmed to the Appeals Court
Judge Zachary Hillman, who currently serves as the First Justice of the Worcester District Court and Regional Administrative Justice for Region 5, has been an Associate Justice of the District Court since 2021, presiding over a wide range of criminal and civil matters. Before joining the bench, he served as General Counsel in the Administrative Office of the District Court, where he advised the Chief Justice, justices, and clerks on complex legal matters, including developments in the law, new legislation, and ethics issues. He was previously an ADA with Suffolk County’s Appeals Unit, where he wrote more than 140 appellate briefs, argued more than 90 appeals in the Appeals Court and the SJC, drafted and argued a broad range of post-conviction motions, and tried multiple cases in the Superior Court. Judge Hillman holds a bachelor’s degree from Plymouth State College and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
Confirmed to the Superior Court
Judge Sarah Joss was appointed as an Associate Justice of the District Court in 2022, where she sat primarily in the Lynn District Court and also serves on the Appellate Division. Before joining the bench, Judge Joss served as the Deputy Commissioner for Legal Services and Legal Counsel for the Massachusetts Probation Service, litigating in the trial and appellate courts, supervising legal staff, developing trainings, and advising court leaders and field personnel on legal and policy issues. She previously spent more than a decade as an Assistant Attorney General in the AGO’s Trial Division, where she represented state agencies in a broad range of litigation matters, including civil rights, employment, and tort cases. She began her legal career as an Associate at Foley Hoag LLP. Judge Joss graduated from Wheaton College and the University of Chicago Law School.
Opening on Massachusetts Bankruptcy Court
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is accepting applications for a judgeship vacancy on the Bankruptcy Court in Worcester. Interested applicants may obtain an application online and should submit applications no later than July 22 to Susan Goldberg, Circuit Executive, here. A Merit Selection Panel will recommend to the First Circuit Judicial Council and to the Court of Appeals individuals whose character, experience, and commitment to equal justice under the law fully qualify them to serve. Bankruptcy judges are appointed to 14-year terms by the Court of Appeals.
Trial Court Looking for Replacement for
Ambrosino as Court Administrator
After 3½ years on the job—and many more years of previous public service, Tom Ambrosino will be stepping down as Court Administrator for the Massachusetts Trial Court, and applications are being accepted, on a rolling basis, for his replacement, on a five-year term. The Court Administrator works with the Chief Justice of the Trial Court to lead the Trial Court, with its 6,000+ employees and more than 100 locations.
The Court Administrator serves as the administrative head of the Trial Court, and manages operations that support the judges, clerks, and staff. The position calls for a leader with a broad understanding of executive management and organizational change and improvement. The position was created by statute, which sets forth the authority and duties of the office.
SJC Seeks New Member for BBE
The Supreme Judicial Court is seeking applications for appointment of one attorney to the Board of Bar Examiners, pursuant to G.L. c. 221, §§ 35-36. The BBE is charged with evaluating the qualifications of persons seeking admission to the state bar, and its activities are governed by SJC Rule 3:01 and the Rules of the BBE.
Applicants should have been members of the Massachusetts bar in good standing for many years, and attorneys who have experience with the Rules of Professional Conduct or legal ethics more generally are specifically encouraged to apply. The Justices also strongly encourage attorneys with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Anna Rachel Dray-Siegel at [email protected] by August 14, 2026.
Submit Nominees to LCL for Well-Being Excellence Awards
Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers is introducing the Well-Being Excellence Awards, which will be given at the fall 2026 Annual Brink Dinner. Nominations are being accepted until July 24 in the following categories…
- Legal Employer: Private Sector (Law Firms, In-House Legal Departments, and Private Legal Organizations)
- Legal Employer: Public Sector (Government Agencies, Courts, Nonprofits, and Legal Services Organizations)
- Leadership in Well-Being Excellence Award: Private Sector
- Leadership in Well-Being Excellence Award: Public Sector
BBA Seeks Nominees for Mary Ryan Pro Bono Awards
Do you know (or might you be) a candidate for one of the third-annual Mary K. Ryan Achievements in Pro Bono awards? The awards will be presented at our Annual Meeting on September 24, to a select number of Massachusetts attorneys who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to pro bono. Nominations must be made by July 10.
BBA Urges Action on Immigrant-Protection Bill
A bill known as the PROTECT Act, having passed both houses of the State Legislature, is now behind closed doors before a six-member conference committee working out differences between the two versions. The bill is intended to expand protections for immigrant communities, and while a compromise version could emerge at any time, a new legislative rule means that the conferees have until the end of the year to report out a final bill to their colleagues.
BBA President Suma Nair sent a letter to the committee, asking it to…
- Confirm the provision, agreed upon by both House and Senate, to require 48 hours’ notice from employers to their workers when they learn that federal authorities intend to conduct an immigration audit.
- Endorse the broader Senate language—added through a floor amendment by Lydia Edwards—that would prohibit warrantless civil arrests not only inside courthouses (as the House bill does) but also in the surrounding curtilage.
- Include a measure in the House bill that would strengthen information on right to counsel for individuals detained in state facilities and ensure the sanctity of their attorney-client communications.
Stay cool, everyone, and enjoy your holiday weekend! I’ll be back next time with a wrap of the Legislature’s formal sessions for this two-year term.
