About the Supreme Judicial Court

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Governor's Council. The seven Justices hear appeals on a broad range of criminal and civil cases from September through May. Single Justice sessions are held each week throughout the year for certain motions pertaining to cases on trial or on appeal, bail reviews, bar discipline proceedings, petitions for admission to the bar, and a variety of other statutory proceedings. The Associate Justices sit as Single Justices each month on a rotation schedule.