Associate Justice James F. McHugh
James F. McHugh was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on February 11, 1944. He received a B.A. from Brown University in 1965. After serving on active duty in the United States Navy, he attended Boston University School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law review and from which he graduated, magna cum laude, in 1970. From 1970 to 1971 he was a law clerk to Judge George McKinnon of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In 1971, he returned to Boston, joining the law firm of Bingham, Dana & Gould (now Bingham McCutchen) as an associate, and later became a partner. His practice emphasized admiralty and First Amendment law. In 1985, Governor Michael Dukakis appointed him to the Superior Court, where he served as a Regional Administrative Justice and as Chair of the Rules Committee. He served on the Superior Court until 2001, when Governor Paul Cellucci appointed him to the Appeals Court. He took the oath of office on March 5, 2001. From July, 2004, through July, 2008, he was the special advisor to the Trial Court Chief Justice for Administration and Management on the Trial Court's automated case management project. Justice McHugh taught a course on the law of the First Amendment at Boston College Law School for ten years and a course on advanced torts at Northeastern University School of Law for two years. He is a resident of Boston.