Press Release

Press Release  Supreme Judicial Court Announces Reappointment of Hon. Paula M. Carey as Chief Justice of the Trial Court

For immediate release:
2/28/2018
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Media Contact   for Supreme Judicial Court Announces Reappointment of Hon. Paula M. Carey as Chief Justice of the Trial Court

Jennifer Donahue and Erika Gully-Santiago

BOSTON, MAThe Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court today announced the reappointment of the Honorable Paula M. Carey as Chief Justice of the Trial Court, pursuant to G. L. 211B, §6. The reappointment will be effective on July 16, 2018, when Chief Justice Carey's first five-year term expires.  

In considering Chief Justice Carey's reappointment, the Supreme Judicial Court surveyed many colleagues in the judiciary who have worked closely with her over the past five years.  Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants announced: "We found universal praise for her leadership, her willingness to listen and to collaborate, her intelligence and ability to 'get it,' her remarkable energy and work ethic, and her courage in dealing with tough problems. We are grateful that she is willing to embark on a second term as Chief Justice of the Trial Court."   The Chief Justice of the Trial Court is the policy and judicial head of the Trial Court, which includes the Boston Municipal, District, Housing, Juvenile, Land, Probate and Family, and Superior Courts, the Office of the Commissioner of Probation, and the Office of Jury Commissioner.  The Chief Justice of the Trial Court has authority over all matters of judicial policy and appoints the departmental chief justices, oversees caseflow management and the establishment of programs and procedures to continuously improve access to justice by all segments of the Commonwealth's population.

The Chief Justice works closely with Trial Court Administrator Jonathan Williams to govern the Trial Court. Trial Court Administrator Williams began his five-year appointment in May of 2017.

"I am humbled and grateful to be reappointed as Chief Justice of the Trial Court by the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court, and appreciate the confidence they continue to place in me," said Chief Justice Paula Carey. "I am so proud of the work done by the Massachusetts Trial Court. There is no more noble mission than the delivery of justice and every day the men and women of the Trial Court dedicate themselves to this goal. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead them as we expand access to justice and enhance public safety." 

In 2011, court reform legislation replaced the single position of Chief Justice for Administration and Management with two new positions of Chief Justice of the Trial Court and Trial Court Administrator.   The Trial Court is comprised of 380 judges and more than 6,300 employees who work in 99 courthouses throughout the state.

Prior to her first appointment as Chief Justice of the Trial Court in May of 2013, Chief Justice Carey had served as Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court since 2007.  She was first appointed to the Probate and Family Court in 2001 as a circuit judge and then served as an associate justice in Norfolk County.

In 2011, Chief Justice Carey received the Boston Bar Association Citation of Judicial Excellence, the Haskell Freedman Award from the Massachusetts Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the MCLE Scholar-Mentor Award, and the Middlesex Bar Association's Distinguished Jurist Award. She is also a recipient of the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers Distinguished Jurist Award in 2009, the Daniel F. Toomey Excellence in Judiciary Award in 2006, and the Massachusetts Judges Conference Probate and Family Court Judicial Excellence Award in 2004.

Prior to her appointment as a judge, she co-founded the firm Carey and Mooney, PC, a family law practice. While in private practice, she chaired the Family Law Section of the Massachusetts Bar Association and served on the Family Law Steering Committee of the Boston Bar Association. Chief Justice Carey graduated magna cum laude from New England Law | Boston.

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Media Contact   for Supreme Judicial Court Announces Reappointment of Hon. Paula M. Carey as Chief Justice of the Trial Court

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