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HONORABLE LYNDA M. CONNOLLY
TO BE ADMINISTERED OATH OF OFFICE
AS NEW CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE DISTRICT COURT
Boston — For the first time in
28 years, the District Court Department of the Trial Court
will have a new Chief Justice when Honorable Lynda M. Connolly
is administered the oath of office on Friday, June 18,
2004, at the conclusion of the Annual District Court Conference
at Williams College in Williamstown. Chief Justice
for Administration and Management Robert A. Mulligan, who
appointed Judge Connolly to the position last month, will
administer the oath of office to her.
Judge
Connolly, presently the First Justice of the Dedham District
Court, succeeds District Court Chief Justice Samuel E.
Zoll, who is retiring from the Judiciary this week after
having served as a judge for 31 years and as Chief Justice
of the District Court since 1976.
Judge
Connolly said, "Our court as we know it today — professional
and fully engaged in the life of the communities we serve — has
been Chief Justice Zoll's life's work. Our goal is
to write the next chapter in the history of this court,
which is the gateway to justice for the vast majority of
people who seek justice in this Commonwealth."
One
of Judge Connolly's first initiatives as Chief Justice
will be a series of six afternoon regional meetings and
receptions at district courts throughout the state. Judge
Connolly plans to meet with judges and staff in each region
and tour the courthouses.
The
schedule is as follows:
| Cambridge District Court on Tuesday,
June 29, 2004 |
| Brockton District Court on Thursday,
July 1, 2004 |
| Lynn District Court on Monday, July
19, 2004 |
| Worcester District Court on Tuesday,
July 20, 2004 |
| Quincy District Court on Friday, September
10, 2004 |
| Northampton District Court on Friday,
October 1, 2004 |
Judge
Connolly has been the First Justice of the Dedham District
Court since 2003 when she was appointed by Chief Justice
Zoll. Governor William F. Weld first appointed her
as an Associate Justice of the Marlborough District Court
in 1997. She subsequently served as Acting
First Justice of the Charlestown District Court (now a
division of the Boston Municipal Court). She is presently
chair of the Trial Court's Budget Advisory Committee, and
serves on the District Court Committee on Continuing Judicial
Education and the Committee on Chapter 123 Commitments
(Massachusetts mental health statute).
Prior
to her appointment to the bench, Judge Connolly served
as General Counsel at Gallagher & Gallagher P.C. From
1991 to 1997, she served as a Special Assistant Attorney
General. She also was a sole practitioner from 1980
to 1989, and for two years prior to that, she was associated
with the firm of Connolly & Johnson. She began
her legal career in 1975, serving as a special prosecutor
in the Major Violator's Division of the Suffolk County
District Attorney's Office.
Judge
Connolly is a graduate of Boston College Law School and
the College of William and Mary. A resident of Roslindale,
Judge Connolly is married and has four children.
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