InMassachusetts, there is one federal district court, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

• Federal courts
• State supreme court
• State court of appeals
• Trial courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through the Massachusetts state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Massachusetts' state court system.

Judicial selection process

See also:Massachusetts judicial elections andJudicial selection in Massachusetts

Justices and judges inMassachusetts do not participate in judicial elections. Instead, they are chosen viagubernatorial appointment and confirmed by the Governor's Council. Judges on the Supreme Judicial Court and Court of Appeals are not subject to terms, but instead serve until the age of 70.^[1]

Massachusetts is one of seven states without judicial elections. There are also six states with judicial retention elections, 23 states that have nonpartisan or partisan judicial elections, and 14 states with partisan or nonpartisan judicial elections and retention elections.

To read more about judicial elections in Massachusetts,click here.

Federal courts

Thefederal district court in Massachusetts is theUnited States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Appeals from this district go to theU.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit.

Active judges

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 11
• Republican appointed: 0

Judicial selection

Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by thepresident of the United States and confirmed by theUnited States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, clickhere.

Bankruptcy courts

There is onefederal bankruptcy court in Massachusetts. This court has subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy court in Massachusetts is:

• United States bankruptcy court, District of Massachusetts

State supreme court

See also:Massachusetts Supreme Court

Founded in 1692, theMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the state'scourt of last resort and has seven judgeships. The chief of the court isKimberly S. Budd, who was confirmed to the position on November 18, 2020. The court is the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere. Originally called the Superior Court of Judicature, it was established in 1692. The court's name was changed to its current one by the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780.^[2]The supreme judicial court hears appeals for a broad range of criminal and civil cases. The court is also responsible for oversight of the judiciary and the bar, and operations of the courts. The supreme judicial council has varying supervisory responsibilities over theBoard of Bar Overseers,Commission on Judicial Conduct,Board of Bar Examiners,Clients Security Board,Legal Assistance Corporation,Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, andPrisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts.^[3][4]

Unusually, the supreme judicial council may also provide advisory opinions, upon request to the governor and the state legislature. Between 1780-1990 the court issued 364 advisory opinions, 39% initiated by the state house, 31% by the senate, 8% by the governor, 8% requested jointly by both the house and senate, 12% jointly by the governor and governor's council, and 2% by the council alone. The requests can be broken down to five broad topic categories including institutional power, procedures, federal power, potential impact of certain legislative or constitutional changes, and the effect of existing legislation or constitutional provisions.^[5][6]

As of April 2024, one judge on the court was appointed by a Democratic governor and six judges were appointed by a Republican governor.

The following judges sit on the court:

State court of appeals

See also:Massachusetts Appeals Court

TheMassachusetts Appeals Court is theintermediate appellate court inMassachusetts. Justices of the appeals court review decisions from the trial courts, as well as decisions of state agencies such as the Appellate Tax Board, Commonwealth Employment Relations Board, and Industrial Accidents Board. Appeals court justices only review decisions for errors of law and whether those errors affected the outcome of the case. They do not retry cases or make factual determinations.^[7][8]Click here for more information about the Massachusetts Appeals Court.

The following judges sit on the court:

Trial courts

Superior court

See also:Massachusetts Superior Courts

TheMassachusetts Superior Court has original jurisdiction in criminal cases, civil actions over $50,000, and labor disputes. It also has exclusive original jurisdiction over first-degree murder cases and exclusive authority to call medical malpractice tribunals.^[9]

District courts

See also:Massachusetts District Courts

Thedistrict courts are trial courts inMassachusetts that have jurisdiction over felonies punishable by less than five years, small claims involving less than $7,000, and civil cases involving less than $50,000. The courts also hear juvenile, mental health, and housing cases.^[10] Many counties in the state have multiple district courts.^[11][12]

Housing courts

See also:Massachusetts Housing Courts

The Massachusettshousing courts handle cases involving residential housing. Matters related to commercial property are not within the jurisdiction of this court. Eviction cases, small claims cases, consumer protection cases, and civil matters involving the health, safety, or welfare of the occupants or owners of residential housing, including personal injury, property damage, breach of contract and discrimination cases, are handled in this court.^[13]

Juvenile courts

See also:Massachusetts Juvenile Courts

Thejuvenile courts have jurisdiction over cases such as delinquency, adoption, and child protection services.^[14]

Land courts

See also:Massachusetts Land Courts

Theland courts have statewide jurisdiction over real estate and land use cases. The courts also administer the state's system for registering titles to real property.^[15]

Probate & family courts

See also:Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts

Theprobate and family courts have jurisdiction over family matters such as divorce, child support, custody, adoption, and wills.^[16]

Boston municipal courts

See also:Boston Municipal Courts, Massachusetts

TheBoston Municipal Courts are trial courts inBoston, Massachusetts. The court system includes 30 judges spanning eight divisions. It has jurisdiction over both civil and criminal cases. The court can also review certain actions of government agencies, including unemployment compensation and firearms license decisions.^[17]

In other states

See also

• Judicial selection in Massachusetts
• Massachusetts judicial elections

External links

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• Search Google News for this topic
• Massachusetts Court System

Footnotes

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