Duffly confirmed to SJC; MBA praises council's decision
The Governor's Council on Jan. 26 confirmed Gov. Deval Patrick's
nomination of Fernande R.V. Duffly to serve as an associate justice
to the Supreme Judicial Court. The appointment is the time an
Asian-American will serve on the state's highest court.
Duffly fills the open seat from the retirement of former Chief
Justice Margaret H. Marshall and the elevation of Associate Justice
Roderick L. Ireland, who was sworn in as chief justice on Dec.
20.
"The Massachusetts Bar Association is delighted to congratulate
Justice Duffly on her appointment to the SJC. Her detailed
experience as a Probate and Family Court judge makes her
well-equipped to grapple with the complex issues facing many
families today, including custody and support issues revolving
around the changing nature of family structures," said MBA
President Denise Squillante, who operates a mainly family law
practice in Fall River.
"Justice Duffly's unique experience is certain to add a new
dimension to the makeup of the state's highest court," Squillante
said.
Prior to her appointment, Duffly was an associate justice with the
Appeals Court for more than a decade. Previously, she served as an
associate justice with the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court
for eight years.
Born in Indonesia to a Chinese mother and Dutch father, Duffly has
committed to help increase the number of minority lawyers, law firm
partners and judges. She has also worked to ensure that minorities
have adequate access to justice in the court system.
Housing Court CJ Steven D. Pierce reappointed
Chief Justice for Administration & Management Robert A.
Mulligan has announced the reappointment of Housing Court Chief
Justice Steven D. Pierce for a five-year term. Pierce, who has
served on the Housing Court since 2003, was appointed chief justice
in 2006. He previously served as executive director of the
Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency.
Mulligan noted that the Housing Court was the first Trial Court
department to introduce the full version of the MassCourts computer
system in multiple locations, and through its case management
efforts, has reduced the number of aged cases from over 21,000 at
the end of 2006 to 1,741 at the end of 2009.
Probate and Family Court introduces bilingual short
form financial statement
In response to the high percentage of bilingual,
self-represented litigants in many of its 14 divisions, the Probate
and Family Court announced on Dec. 31, 2010, that it has introduced
Spanish and Portuguese versions of its Short Form Financial
Statement (CJD-301s), one of the most widely used Probate and
Family Court forms.
Go to www.mass.gov/courts
to access the forms. The forms must be printed with black ink on
pink paper, pursuant to Uniform Probate Court Practice XXXIII. The
online version is currently available in a "print only" format,
while a "fillable" version is being developed for posting in the
near future.