DISTRICT COURT CHIEF JUSTICE LYNDA CONNOLLY
APPOINTS
NEW FIRST JUSTICE IN PITTSFIELD
District
Court Chief Justice Lynda M. Connolly today appointed Hon.
Fredric D. Rutberg as the First Justice of the Central
Berkshire District Court in Pittsfield to succeed the Hon.
Alfred A. Barbalunga, who retired in September. Judge Rutberg
has been the Associate Justice of the Southern Berkshire
District Court since his appointment to the bench in March
1994. Additionally, he has been a member of the District
Court’s Western District Appellate Division, which
hears appeals of District Court civil cases arising out
of Worcester and the four western counties. Judge Rutberg
has traveled throughout the four western counties and has
presided over criminal sittings in all 12 district courts
in the area, including those in Pittsfield, Springfield,
and Holyoke.
In
2000, Judge Rutberg was chosen to oversee the implementation
of civil jury trials in Berkshire County. As a result of
those efforts, Judge Rutberg was asked to chair the District
Court Committee on Civil Proceedings, a position he continues
to occupy. In that capacity Judge Rutberg has played a
key role in the successful implementation of civil jury
trials in the District Court statewide. Judge Rutberg serves
as the District Court’s representative on the Supreme
Judicial Court’s Standing Committee on the Rules
of Civil Procedure. Recently, Chief Justice Connolly designated
him as the District Court’s representative on a subcommittee
investigating the elimination of personal identifiers in
court documents to reduce potential identity thefts from
these public records. As a result of his broad experience
in the civil area, Judge Rutberg has been an instructor
at the District Court’s annual conference for the
last several years.
Chief
Justice Connolly stated, “Judge Rutberg has acquired
extensive administrative experience during his tenure on
the bench. This includes his co-chairing with me the District
Court’s Committee on Time Standards in 2003.” Since
that time Judge Rutberg has been the co-chair of the District
Court Committee on Caseflow Management. Time standards
and caseflow management are issues of critical importance
to the Trial Court and are among the management initiatives
undertaken by Chief Justice for Administration and Management
Robert A. Mulligan in implementing the recommendations
of the Visiting Committee on Management in the Courts,
also known as the Monan Report.
Prior
to joining the bench in 1994, Judge Rutberg practiced law
in Lenox and was active in community affairs. He was a
member of the Board of Directors of Berkshire United Way,
Western Massachusetts Legal Services, the Berkshire Theatre
Festival, and the Stockbridge Golf Club. He taught legal
ethics at Western New England College School of Law for
more than ten years. Judge Rutberg has appeared in Twelve
Angry Jurors and The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, which
were sponsored by the Berkshire Bar Players.
In
making this appointment Chief Justice Connolly stated, “Appointing
a new First Justice to any court is among my most important
responsibilities. The First Justice is the administrative
head of the court and sets the tone for the court team.
By his background, training, and experience, Judge Rutberg
will be a welcome addition to the management team of the
District Court.”
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