The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Judiciary-Media Committee was established in 1995 to help foster good working relationships and to improve better understanding between the judicial branch and the media. The committee meets quarterly to discuss and address problems, if possible, incurred by the media in gaining access to court proceedings and documents. It also assists judges and court personnel with questions and concerns involving the media.
The Judiciary-Media Committee includes judges from the Appellate Courts and the Trial Court departments, clerk magistrates and registers, editors and reporters from newspapers statewide, radio and television producers and executives, attorneys and representatives from bar associations, representatives from the Massachusetts Judges Conference and the Flaschner Judicial Institute, and the court's Public Information Office.
Each meeting usually begins with a guest speaker, alternating between the judiciary and the media. Topics have ranged from issues pertaining to cameras in the courtroom, media coverage of high-profile trials, to access to court documents and proceedings.
The Judiciary-Media Committee has in the past produced, updated and distributed to judges, clerks, and the media guidelines regarding the public's right of access to judicial proceedings and records; has sponsored regional conferences for judges, clerks and the media; "Law School for Journalists" programs; and other such activities designed to promote better communication and understanding between the judiciary and the media.
Committee Members
Judiciary:
Hon. Helen Brown-Bryant, Suffolk Juvenile Court
Hon. Randy S. Chapman, District Court
Hon. Robert J. Cordy, emeritus member, Supreme Judicial Court
Hon. Anthony Campo, Superior Court
Katelyn Draper, Assistant Clerk, Essex County
Hon. Robert Foster, Land Court
Hon. Michelle Kelley, District Court
Hon. William McSweeny, Middlesex Probate and Family Court
Hon. Eric Neyman, Appeals Court
Anthony Owens, Clerk-Magistrate, Boston Municipal Court, Dorchester Division
Hon. Erica Reis, Boston Municipal Court
Damian Riddle, Clerk, Ayer District Court
Hon. Neil Sherring, Metro South Housing Court
Hon. George O'Toole, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
Media:
Jenny Barron, WCVB-TV, Senior Executive Producer
Mike Bello, Boston Globe, Deputy City Editor
Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter, Managing Editor
Julie Manganis, Law360, Reporter
Kristopher Olson, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Reporter
Brad Petrishen, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Reporter
Shira Schoenberg, Boston Globe, Editorial Writer
Bar:
Jonathan M. Albano, Esq., Bingham McCutchen, LLP
Robert Bertsche, Esq., Prince Lobel
Martin Healy, Legal Counsel, Massachusetts Bar Association
Other:
Robert Brink, Executive Director, Social Law Library
Jennifer Donahue, Public Information Office, Supreme Judicial Court
Erika Gully-Santiago, Deputy Public Information Office, Supreme Judicial Court
Joseph B. McDonough, Esq., Fellow, International Rule of Law Initiative, Center for Democracy and Development, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Cynthia Robinson-Markey, Executive Office of the Trial Court