Chief Justice

Kimberly Budd will become the next chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court after she was unanimously confirmed by the Governor’s Council on Wednesday to succeed the late Chief Justice Ralph Gants and become the first Black woman to lead the state’s highest court. Budd, 54, has been a member of the judiciary for 11 years. She was first…

Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday nominated Appeals Court Associate Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt to a seat on the Supreme Judicial Court, paving the way for her to become the first Latina to serve on the high court bench. In a press conference, Baker highlighted Wendlandt’s thoughtfulness, collegiality and judiciousness in tapping her for the seat, one of two on...

For the first time, a Black woman has been nominated to become the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday nominated Associate Justice Kimberly Budd as the next chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, paving the way for her to become the first Black woman to lead the body. In a press conference at the State House, Baker repeatedly highlighted Budd’s ability to listen to others and collaborate, saying such qualities were...

In a touching speech, Gov. Charlie Baker honors the memory of Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants, who died suddenly on Monday.

Chief Justice John Roberts spent a night in a hospital last month after he fell and injured his forehead, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said Tuesday night.

The biggest cases of the Supreme Court term so far have a surprising common thread.

Chief Justice John Roberts drew little attention to himself in the beginning 12 hours of his first impeachment trial. But it was just before 1 a.m., as tempers on the floor had started to wear thin, that he reminded senators, House impeachment managers and President Donald Trump’s defense team who was in charge.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was absent on Wednesday for courtroom argument in two cases. Chief Justice John Roberts announced that Ginsburg was “indisposed due to illness,” a statement similar to the one he made on the first day of the term, Oct. 7, when Justice Clarence Thomas was absent with what a court official said was the flu....

Sharply at odds with liberal justices, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed ready Tuesday to allow the Trump administration to abolish protections that permit 660,000 immigrants to work in the U.S., free from the threat of deportation. That outcome would “destroy lives,” declared Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one the court’s liberals who repeatedly suggested the administration has not adequately justified its...

The Supreme Court is taking up the Trump administration’s plan to end legal protections that shield 660,000 immigrants from deportation, a case with strong political overtones amid the 2020 presidential election campaign.

The Supreme Court began its election-year term Monday by wrestling over whether states must allow criminal defendants to plead insanity. The one minor surprise when the justices took the bench just after 10 o’clock was the absence of Justice Clarence Thomas. The 71-year-old Thomas was at home, likely with the flu, the court said. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was in...

After more than two years of jousting over President Donald Trump’s conduct, the ground has shifted in Congress and a move toward impeachment has broken free of constraints. That does not mean the path ahead is all set. Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who for months had been a powerful brake on restive Democrats wanting to impeach Trump...

Abortion rights as well as protections for young immigrants and LGBT people top an election-year agenda for the Supreme Court. Its conservative majority will have ample opportunity to flex its muscle, testing Chief Justice John Roberts’ attempts to keep the court clear of Washington partisan politics. Guns could be part of a term with plenty of high-profile cases and at...

Attorneys for the Trump administration and the American Civil Liberties Union sparred Tuesday before a federal appeals court on two major changes to the rules of asylum, a backwater topic in immigration policy debates until the president made it a crucial part of his agenda.

The House of Representatives approved rules for the next, public phase of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, a process that will culminate in the Judiciary Committee considering whether to bring charges against him. The divided vote marked only the third time in modern U.S. history that the House has taken this step. It comes a...

Impeachment is in the air. If you follow politics, watch TV or use Twitter, you’ve probably heard the word “impeachment” used over and over again with growing urgency this week.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor discusses what justices talk about when they’re not working on cases and her relationship with fellow Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

With just a few months left before America starts taking its biggest-ever self-portrait, the U.S. Census Bureau is grappling with a host of concerns about the head count, including how to ensure that it is secure and accurate and the challenge of getting most people to answer questions online. All of that is on top of the main attention-grabber of...

An Australian appeals court Wednesday upheld convictions against Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic to be found guilty of sexually abusing children, in a decision cheered by scores of abuse survivors and victims’ advocates demonstrating outside the court. A unanimous jury in December found Pope Francis’ former finance minister guilty of molesting two 13-year-old choirboys in Melbourne’s St. Patrick’s...