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

BOSTON, MA — The Hon. Kimberly S. Budd presented her fourth 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 held in the Seven Justice Courtroom of the John Adams Courthouse in Boston.

Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Budd welcomed two new members of the SJC who were confirmed earlier this year, Justice Elizabeth Dewar and Justice Gabrielle Wolohojian. 

Chief Justice Budd focused her remarks on an “overarching issue that is essential to the success of our legal system – the importance of maintaining public trust and confidence in the courts.” She cited recent polls conducted by the National Center for State Courts and Gallup showing a national decline in public trust in state and federal courts. Although the public perception of the of the courts in Massachusetts is more positive than the national trend, the Chief Justice acknowledged that there is more work to be done, and she described some of the initiatives underway in the state courts.

“Here in Massachusetts, we have been working to improve the public perception of our courts through initiatives that make the courts more accessible,” said Chief Justice Budd.

The Trial Court’s 2023 Access and Fairness Survey found that “8 out of 10 court users reported being treated with courtesy and respect, served by attentive court staff, and satisfied with their overall court experience.” 

“With regard to ethics, accountability, and transparency, we have a strong Code of Judicial Ethics. We also have a Code of Professional Responsibility for clerks, registers, and their assistants,” said Chief Justice Budd. “The vast majority of court proceedings are open to the public, and we routinely allow news cameras in the courtroom,”

“We actively solicit input from attorneys and other court users, as well as court employees, about what we can do better,” she said. “In addition, we seek public comment on rule changes. And we recently resumed our Judicial Performance Evaluation program by sending out surveys about judges in selected courts to over 10,000 lawyers and over 1,000 court employees, as well as to jurors.”

Following Chief Justice Budd’s remarks, she, together with Trial Court Chief Justice Heidi E. Brieger and Trial Court Administrator Thomas G. Ambrosino participated in a Q&A session and responded to questions, moderated by Massachusetts Bar Association President Victoria M. Santoro.

A link to Chief Justice Budd’s remarks can be found here. 

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