| United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (D. Mass.) |
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| Appeals to | First Circuit |
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| Established | September 24, 1789 |
| Judges assigned | 13 |
| Chief judge | Mark Lawrence Wolf |
| Official site | |
The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA. The first court session was held in Boston in 1789. The second term was held in Salem in 1790 and until 1813 court session locations alternated between the two cities. That year, Boston became the court's permanent home. A western division was opened in Springfield in 1979 and a central division was opened in Worcester in 1987. The court's main building is the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse on Fan Pier in South Boston.
Appeals from the District of Massachusetts are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, also headquartered in Boston (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. The current U.S. Attorney is Carmen Ortiz.
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Judges
Current composition of the court
As of 2009[update], the judges on the court are:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 31 | Chief Judge | Mark Lawrence Wolf | Boston, MA | 1946 | 1985–present | 2006–present | — | Reagan |
| 24 | District Judge | Joseph Louis Tauro | Boston, MA | 1931 | 1972–present | 1992–1999 | — | Nixon |
| 30 | District Judge | Rya Weickert Zobel | Boston, MA | 1931 | 1979–present | — | — | Carter |
| 32 | District Judge | William G. Young | Boston, MA | 1940 | 1985–present | 1999–2005 | — | Reagan |
| 33 | District Judge | Douglas Preston Woodlock | Boston, MA | 1947 | 1986–present | — | — | Reagan |
| 35 | District Judge | Nathaniel M. Gorton | Boston, MA | 1938 | 1992–present | — | — | G.H.W. Bush |
| 37 | District Judge | Patti B. Saris | Boston, MA | 1951 | 1993–present | — | — | Clinton |
| 38 | District Judge | Richard Gaylore Stearns | Boston, MA | 1944 | 1993–present | — | — | Clinton |
| 39 | District Judge | Nancy Gertner | Boston, MA | 1946 | 1994–present | — | — | Clinton |
| 40 | District Judge | Michael Ponsor | Springfield, MA | 1946 | 1994–present | — | — | Clinton |
| 41 | District Judge | George A. O'Toole, Jr. | Boston, MA | 1947 | 1995–present | — | — | Clinton |
| 42 | District Judge | F. Dennis Saylor IV | Worcester, MA | 1955 | 2004–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
| (n/a) | District Judge | (Seat Vacant) | (n/a) | (n/a) | (n/a) | — | — | (n/a) |
| 34 | Senior District Judge | Edward Francis Harrington | Boston, MA | 1933 | 1988–2001 | — | 2001–present | Reagan |
Pending nominations
- There is currently one vacant seat, left open by the death of Reginald C. Lindsay on March 12, 2009. There has not yet been a nomination to fill this seat.
Magistrate Judges
- Rudolph F. Pierce (1976-1979)
- Patti B. Saris (1985-1989)
- Peter W. Prince (1971-1981)
- Charles B. Swartwood (1973-2006)
- Robert P. DeGiacomo (1980-1985)
- Mihchael A. Ponsor (1984-1994)
- Willie J. Davis (1971-1976)
- Lawrence P. Cohen (1976-2005)
- Zachary R. Karol (1993-1999)
- Joyce London Alexander (1979-2009)
- Mariane B. Bowler (1990-present)
- Robert B. Collings (1982-present)
- Judith G, Dein (2000-present)
- Leo T. Sorokin (2005-present)
- Timothy S. Hillman (2006-present)
Notable cases
- Ghen v. Rich (1881) (a whale is the property of the whaler who killed it, and not the person who found it dead on the beach).
Notes
External links
- United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts Official Website
- United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Official Website
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