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SUPREME
JUDICIAL COURT APPOINTS
HONORABLE ROBERT A. MULLIGAN AS THE NEW CHIEF JUSTICE
FOR ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE TRIAL COURT
Boston--The Justices of the
Supreme Judicial Court today announced the appointment of
the Honorable Robert A. Mulligan as the new Chief Justice
for Administration and Management of the Trial Court, pursuant
to G. L. 211B, §6. The appointment is effective on October
1, 2003, when Chief Justice for Administration and Management
Barbara A. Dortch-Okara completes her five-year term and
resumes her judicial duties as a Superior Court Justice.
The Justices announced the new appointment in the Supreme
Judicial Court's Thorndike Library with Judge Mulligan and
his family and friends, as well as with many judges, employees,
and other well wishers.
Chief
Justice Margaret H. Marshall said, "The Justices are enormously
pleased that Judge Mulligan will be assuming the extremely
challenging job of Chief Justice for Administration and Management
during a pivotal era of management reform in the Massachusetts
court system. Since the Visiting Committee on Management
in the Courts, under the leadership of Boston College Chancellor
J. Donald Monan, S.J., released its comprehensive report
three months ago, we have received many thoughtful comments
from our judges and staff, members of the bar, business community
representatives, leaders of the legislative and executive
branches, and numerous other groups and individuals who agree
with us that court management reform must be our highest
priority. Creating clear lines of authority, allocating funds
and resources fairly throughout the system, and developing
a management culture of excellence in job standards, performance,
and accountability in every court, is our singular vision.
I am pleased that Judge Mulligan, a proven leader who commands
great respect of all with whom he has worked over the past
two decades, is committed to this mission."
Under
the general superintendence powers of the Supreme Judicial
Court, the Chief Justice for Administration and Management
is responsible for the administration and supervision of
the Trial Court, which includes these court departments:
Boston Municipal, District, Housing, Juvenile, Land, Probate
and Family, and Superior Courts, the Office of the Commissioner
of Probation, the Office of Jury Commissioner, and the Administrative
Office of the Trial Court. In cooperation with the Departmental
Chief Justices and the Commissioners, the duties include
the daily management of Trial Court operations, such as fiscal,
personnel, court facilities, security, information technology,
education and training, among others, to ensure the proper
administration of justice.
The
Justices said they appreciate the numerous contributions made
by Chief Justice Dortch-Okara in a most demanding job during
the past five years. On behalf of the Justices, Chief Justice
Marshall said, "Chief Justice Dortch-Okara has worked unceasingly
to lead the Trial Court during difficult years of diminished
resources and enormous fiscal challenges. She has worked
diligently with judges, court personnel, legislators, and
community representatives in an effort to assist with numerous
administrative issues and to provide better access to the
court system. Chief Justice Dortch-Okara, a superb judge,
deserves our utmost gratitude and respect
for her distinguished service in the administration of justice."
A
Chief Justice of the Superior Court from 1994 to 1999, a
current Associate Justice, Chief Justice Mulligan has served
on that Court for more than 20 years and brings to the position
of Chief Justice for Administration and Management a breadth
of leadership experience and expertise. Among his many accomplishments
as Chief Justice of the Superior Court, he oversaw the implementation
of Time Standards for civil cases; provided management opportunities
for a diverse number of Superior Court judges who were appointed
as Regional Administrative Justices; required racial and
ethnic equality training for all judges and court personnel
in the Superior Court; and instituted a leadership
approach to communicate goals and expectations
of each staff member in court sessions. His
term was marked by achievement and high morale.
Prior
to his appointment as a Superior Court judge,
Judge Mulligan was an Associate Justice of the Boston Municipal
Court for two years. Before his appointment to the bench,
he was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts
and an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth. He
is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and Suffolk
University Law School. He also served as a lieutenant in
the Army infantry in Viet Nam.
In
May 1994, Governor William F. Weld appointed Judge Mulligan
as Chair of the Massachusetts Sentencing Commission, a committee
charged with establishing guidelines for every sentence imposed
in the Superior, District, and Boston Municipal Courts. In
addition, he chaired the statutory Jury Management Advisory
Committee, the Superior Court Committee on Law Clerks and
Interns, and the Probation and Parole Committee. In1986 and
1987, he was the Regional Administrative Justice for Suffolk
County criminal sessions. He also was a member of the Supreme
Judicial Court's Committee on Model Jury Instructions on
Homicide. In 2002, Judge Mulligan was the recipient of the
Boston Bar Association's Haskell Cohn Award for Distinguished
Judicial Service. A native of Boston, Judge Mulligan, 59
years old, and his wife, Tina, have a nine-year-old son.
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