Press Release  Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd Delivers 2023 State of the Judiciary Speech to the Legal Community

BOSTON, MA — The Hon. Kimberly S. Budd presented her third annual address on the state of the judiciary to the legal community at the Massachusetts Bar Association's Bench-Bar Symposium today. The event was streamed live from the Seven Justice Courtroom of the John Adams Courthouse.

Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Budd opened her remarks discussing leadership transitions in the court system, acknowledging the many contributions of SJC Justice David A. Lowy and SJC Justice Elspeth B. Cypher, who are retiring early next year, along with outgoing Trial Court Chief Justice Jeffrey A. Locke, who is retiring this month.

Chief Justice Budd also welcomed incoming Trial Court Chief Justice Heidi E. Brieger and Trial Court Administrator Thomas G. Ambrosino, who was appointed to his role in January 2023, and also welcomed recently appointed Probation Commissioner Pamerson O. Ifill.

“To maintain progress toward improving our court system, we not only need to appoint talented and experienced leaders. We also need to create and sustain a vision of what we want to accomplish, and execute plans for realizing that vision,” said Chief Justice Budd.

In outlining her vision for the year ahead, Chief Justice Budd said that the court system is healthy and discussed four key goals.

“First, we are continuing to upgrade our technology to make court operations more accessible for court users and more efficient for judges, clerks, court staff, and lawyers,” Chief Justice Budd said, citing improvements that were made possible by the passage of the $164 million IT Bond Bill for the judiciary in 2022. “Second, we are working to make the court system easier to understand and navigate for lawyers and litigants, especially self-represented litigants.”

“Third, we are reexamining how the courts can respond more effectively to the difficult issues that underlie so many of the cases that come before us,” said Chief Justice Budd, referencing the recently issued SJC Substance Use & Mental Health Standards later in the program. “And finally, we are continuing our ongoing efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in our court system.”

Following Chief Justice Budd’s remarks, she, together with Trial Court Chief Justice Jeffrey A. Locke and Trial Court Administrator Thomas G. Ambrosino participated in a Q&A session and responded to questions, moderated by Massachusetts Bar Association President Damian J. Turco.

2023 State of the Judiciary Address by SJC Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd

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