Ralph Gants

Ralph D. Gants
Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Incumbent
Assumed office July 28, 2014
Nominated by	Deval Patrick
Preceded by	Roderick L. Ireland
Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
In office January 2009 – July 28, 2014
Nominated by	Deval Patrick
Succeeded by	Geraldine Hines
Associate Justice for the Massachusetts Superior Court
In office 1997–2009
Nominated by	William Weld
Personal details
Born	1954 (age 69–70) New Rochelle, New York
Alma mater	Harvard College Cambridge University Harvard Law School

Ralph D. Gants (born 1954) is the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He was sworn in on July 28, 2014. Gants, a New York native, is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and has served as a Massachusetts judge since 1997.

Early life and career

Ralph D. Gants was born in New Rochelle, New York in 1954. He received his A.B., summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1976, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. The following year he completed a Diploma in Criminology at Cambridge University in England. In 1980, he earned a J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he was notes editor of the Harvard Law Review. After graduation from law school, Justice Gants served as law clerk to United States District Court Judge Eugene H. Nickerson. From 1981 to 1983, he was Special Assistant to Judge William H. Webster, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 1983, he was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, serving as Chief of Public Corruption Division from 1988 to 1991. In 1991, he joined the Boston law firm of Palmer & Dodge LLP, becoming a partner in 1994. He has taught at Harvard Law School, New England School of Law, and Northeastern University School of Law.

Judicial career

He was appointed as a Judge of the Massachusetts Superior Court in 1997 by Governor William Weld. In 2008, he served as Administrative Justice of the Superior Court's Business Litigation Session. Governor Deval Patrick appointed Justice Gants to the Supreme Judicial Court in December 2008 and he took office in January 2009 after being confirmed by the Governor's Council. On April 17, 2014, he was nominated by Governor Patrick to replace Roderick L. Ireland as Chief Justice after his retirement; he was confirmed by the Governor's Council and was sworn in on July 28, 2014.

Personal

Justice Gants is married with two children.

References

Legal offices
Preceded by John Greaney	Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 2009-2014	Succeeded by Geraldine Hines
Preceded by Roderick L. Ireland	Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court July 28, 2014–present	Incumbent