BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey nominated Mary Ferriter to serve as an Associate Justice of the Probate and Family Court, and Mary Gallant-Cote to serve as an Associate Justice of the Juvenile Court. 

 

With these nominations, the Governor has now nominated over 100 judges. The Governor also nominated Attorney John P. Riordan to serve as Clerk Magistrate in the Stoughton District Court. The three nominees will now be considered by the Governor’s Council for confirmation.   

 

"I am deeply grateful to have nominated over 100 outstanding judges over the last few years who work to uphold the rule of law, protect our state and safeguard the rights of all our residents," said Governor Maura Healey. "The Juvenile Court and the Probate and Family Court sit at the intersection of law, family, and community, and these judicial nominees bring deep experience, sound judgment, and a strong sense of fairness to that work." 

 

The mission of the Juvenile Court is to protect children from abuse and neglect, to promote opportunities for children to reside in safe, stable, permanent family environments, to strengthen families, to rehabilitate juveniles, and to protect the public from delinquent and criminal behavior. The Juvenile Court Department has jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters including delinquencies, youthful offender cases, care and protection matters and children requiring assistance cases. It has 42 judges, including the Chief Justice, sitting in over 40 courthouses.  

 

Governor Healey has previously nominated 12 judges to the Juvenile Court: Jamie Bennett, Jennifer Currie, Andrew Don, Tiffanie Ellis-Niles, Nibal Raheb, Andrew Hoffman, Audrey Murillo, Jeannie Rhinehart, Benjamin Mann, LaKeshia Parker Small, Fabiola White and Karin Wilinski. For more information about the Juvenile Court, visit its homepage. 

 

The Probate and Family Court Department is responsible for family-related and probate matters such as divorce, paternity, child support, custody, adoption, wills, estates, and guardianships. Its mission is to provide fair, equitable, and timely access to justice while assisting and protecting individuals and families. For more information about the Probate and Family Court Department, please visit its homepage. Governor Healey has previously nominated 20 judges to the Probate and Family Court: Laurel Barraco, Manisha Bhatt, Jennifer Bingham, Bethany Brown, Colleen Carroll, Jessica Dubin, Alexandra Flanders, Timothy Horan, Mikalen Howe, Lyonel Jean-Pierre Jr.,  Mark Lee, Caryn Mitchell-Munevar, Evelyn Patsos, Alessandra Petruccelli, Brian Salisbury, Carla Salvucci, Bernadette Stark, Toiya Taylor, Elena Tsizer, and Michelle Yee. 

 

The District Court Department hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other types of cases. District Court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence up to five years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties, all misdemeanors, and all violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws. In civil matters, the District Court hears cases in which the damages are not likely to be more than $50,000 and small claims cases up to $7,000. The District Court is located in 62 courts across the state. Governor Healey has previously nominated four Clerk Magistrates to the District Court:  Ann Dawley, Padraic Rafferty, Scott Rathbun, and John Stocks.