Associate Justice Fernande R.V. Duffly
Fernande R.V. Duffly was appointed to the Appeals Court by Governor Paul Cellucci on February 15, 2000. She had previously served on the Probate and Family Court, to which she was appointed by Governor William Weld in 1992. After earning a B.A. from the University of Connecticut in 1973 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1978, she joined the litigation department of the Boston law firm then known as Warner and Stackpole. Throughout her career, Justice Duffly has worked to ensure that justice is available to all who come before the courts. As an attorney, she provided pro bono legal services to indigent clients through the Volunteer Lawyers Project. As a judge she continuef to work toward promoting equal access to the courts and full diversity on the bench. She is a member and past President of the board of the National Association of Women Judges. She has served on the Boston Bar Association's committees on pro se litigation and attorney volunteerism; the Probate and Family Court's committee on pro se access to the courts; the ABA subcommittee on representation of children; and the Supreme Judicial Court's Standing Committee on substance abuse. She has written articles and taught seminars on various topics, including appellate decision-making, family law, trusts, parental rights, and ethnic and racial bias. In 2001 Justice Duffly was part of a delegation of Massachusetts judges invited to China by the Supreme People's Court; there she promoted the rule of law. She has also presented educational programs to visiting Chinese judges. Justice Duffly has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Probate Judge's Association; the Distinguished Jurist Award from the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers; and the Trailblazer Award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She has also been recognized as a Diversity Hero by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. In 2011, Justice Duffly was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick as Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court.