Issue Watch #03 – With Mike Avitzur: What’s Hot in the Courts, Legislature and Policy World

Issue Watch is a monthly newsletter distributed to BBA members. For more on joining the BBA, visit bostonbar.org/join-now/. 

August is a quiet month on a lot of fronts, and policy tends to be one of them. But I still have some items for you to know about, including a round-up of new judges—plus an overview of the process—as well as a change to the rules on IOLTA funds that you may want to stay on top of.

New Faces in the Courts

First, the latest two judicial nominees from Governor Maura Healey:

  Sarah Hamilton (Superior Court)
She’s been senior trial counsel for CPCS’s western region since 2022, after spending the first 14 years of her legal career as a staff attorney for CPCS’ Worcester and Fall River offices.

  Heath Antonio (District Court)
A New Bedford attorney who practices in both criminal defense and civil litigation, he previously served five years as a Bristol County ADA.

Next, let’s meet the newest judges in the state court system, starting with the Superior Court, where no fewer than four nominees have been confirmed by the Governor’s Council in recent weeks:

  Matthew Nestor
A District Court judge for 19 years, he previously oversaw the Secretary of State’s Securities Division and was a civil litigator as well as a Suffolk County ADA.

  John Fraser
He is a co-founder and manager at Fraser Law Office in Andover, where he has practiced criminal defense and civil litigation.

  Deepika Shukla
She has been chief of the US Attorney’s Office in Springfield, supervising federal cases in Western Mass. She previously was a plaintiffs’ civil rights attorney at the Connecticut Fair Housing Center and in private practice, and was short-listed for the MA US Attorney position in 2021.

  Keren Goldenberg
She has focused on criminal defense in her Belmont solo practice. She previously was a trial attorney with CPCS and with the Legal Aid Society of NYC.

We also have two new judges on the District Court…

  Amanda Ward
She has been an Assistant Clerk Magistrate in the BMC and the Superior Court. Prior to that, she spent ten years as a public defender with CPCS, and also worked as an Adjunct Professor at BC Law School, and a Victim Witness Advocate with the Suffolk County DA.

  Gregory P. Teran
He’s been a public defender with CPCS’s Mental Health Litigation Division after practicing for 15 years at WilmerHale, handling civil cases in federal courts, and representing Guantanamo detainees in habeas corpus proceedings.

… and two more on the Probate & Family Court…

  Alexandra Flanders
She has served in the Court since 2013, first as an assistant judicial case manager and since 2020 as a judicial case manager. She also ran a solo practice with a concentration in probate and estate matters and represented indigent defendants with the Legal Aid Society in New York and CPCS.

  Mikalen Howe
She has been an Assistant Judicial Case Manager for the Court, after more than 15 years in private practice—first as a partner at Rubin and Rudman LLP and then as a founding member of domestic-relations firm, Walsh & Howe, LLC.

Transitions in the Judiciary

And as if that weren’t enough, Judge Dana Gershengorn, a 15-year veteran of the Juvenile Court bench, was appointed as Chief Justice there in June, replacing Chief Justice Amy Nechtem, who retired after 10 years at the helm. She is the latest in a series of new chief justices throughout the system in recent months, including:

• Judge Heidi Brieger as Chief Justice of the Trial Court (December)
• Judge Michael Ricciuti in Superior Court (also December)
• Judge Tracy-Lee Lyons in the BMC (January)

Review of the Process

Wondering how the judicial nomination process plays out? Click here for an in-depth overview of the full process, from initial application to final confirmation.

Thinking of Applying for Yourself?