O'Toole Jr. to become senior judge of U.S. District
Court
Judge George A. O'Toole Jr. of the United States District Court
of the District of Massachusetts has advised President Trump that
he will become a Senior Judge as of Jan. 1, 2018. O'Toole received
his commission from President William Clinton in 1995.
"When Judge O'Toole became a federal judge in 1995, he brought
to our court a wealth of experience as a state judge, as well as a
private litigator," Chief Judge Patti B. Saris said. "Throughout
his career, he has epitomized the learned, careful, fair-minded
judge. He has presided over some of the District's most important
cases, including most prominently the Boston Marathon bombing
trial. Luckily for all of us, Judge O'Toole will continue to serve
as a senior judge on the court."
Throughout his tenure on the court, O'Toole has been active in
judicial administration. At the local level, he has served at
various times as the court's liaison judge to the magistrate
judges, the pretrial services office, the pro se staff attorneys
and the media. He is currently a member of the court's internal
committee on information technology. At the national level, he has
served as a member of the Judicial Conference Committee on Security
and Facilities (1999 to 2005) and Committee on Judicial Security
(2005 to 2007). He is currently a member of the Committee on the
Administration of the Magistrate Judges System.
O'Toole has been a frequent participant and presenter at
educational panels sponsored by the Administrative Office of the
U.S. Courts, the Federal Judicial Center, law schools, bar
associations and similar organizations. He is a member of the
Boston Intellectual Property American Inn of Court, currently
serving as its vice president.
Prior to joining the federal bench, O'Toole served as an
associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court (1990 to
1995) and the Boston Municipal Court (1982 to 1990). Before that he
was engaged in the private practice of law as a litigator with the
Boston firm of Hale and Dorr, now WilmerHale. He is a graduate of
the Harvard Law School. He earned his baccalaureate degree from
Boston College.
Conrad reappointed federal public defender for the
districts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode
Island
Chief Judge Jeffrey R. Howard of the United States Court of
Appeals for the First Circuit announced that Miriam Conrad has been
reappointed to a fourth term as federal public defender for the
districts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Conrad has served as federal public defender since 2005. Before
her appointment to this role, she served as an assistant federal
public defender in the Massachusetts office from 1992 to 2005.
Conrad received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1987.
First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David J. Barron, chair of
the Reappointment Committee, stated that "the First Circuit Court
of Appeals is confident that Ms. Conrad will continue to serve
expertly the Districts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode
Island as Federal Public Defender." Howard expressed his gratitude
to Barron for serving as chair of the committee. The chief judge
also sincerely thanked Professor Ronald Sullivan Jr. of Cambridge,
Massachusetts; Jaye Rancourt of Manchester, New Hampshire; Kara
Hoopis Manosh, of Warwick, Rhode Island; and Susan Goldberg,
circuit executive, for their efforts as members of the
committee.
SJC approves amendments to Rule 55 (b) (4) of the Mass.
Rules of Civil Procedure
The Supreme Judicial Court has approved amendments to Rule 55
(b) (4) of the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure, effective
May 1. Visit http://www.mass.gov/courts to view the amendments.
Judicial performance evaluations begin for judges in
Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties
Judges in the District Court, Superior Court, Juvenile Court,
Probate and Family Court, and Housing Court in Berkshire, Franklin,
Hampshire and Hampden counties will be evaluated through June.
Members of the bar should receive an email asking for participation
in the Judicial Performance Evaluation. Full participation of the
bar in judicial evaluation is crucial to maintaining a high-quality
judicial branch.
This evaluation system is the best way for members of the bar to
tell the judge and court leadership about their experiences before
the judge. Responding attorneys will remain anonymous.