Dermot Meagher
Dermot Meagher | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Boston Municipal Court | |
| In office 1989–2006 | |
| Appointed by | Michael Dukakis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Dermot James Meagher October 19, 1940 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.[1] |
| Education | Harvard University (AB) Boston College (LLB) |
| Signature |  |
Dermot James Meagher[2][3] (born October 19, 1940)[1] is an American lawyer and former judge of the Boston Municipal Court. Meagher was the first openly gay judge appointed in Massachusetts.[4][5]
Early life and education[]
Meagher received an A.B. from Harvard University and an LL.B. from Boston College Law School.[6]
Legal career[]
He began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Worcester County, Massachusetts.[7] He was in private practice various times.[8] He was First Assistant Bar Counsel at the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers and was later a volunteer member of the Boston Human Rights Commission.[8] He was a Fellow at the Harvard Law School Center for Criminal Justice which is funded by the Ford Foundation.[8]
Other activities[]
He is a former member of the board of directors of the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD).[8] He is a founder and member of the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association (MLGBA) and was a member the AIDS Action Committee Legal Services Committee.[8] He was also one of the founders of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) of Massachusetts.[8]
Judicial service[]
Meagher first applied to be considered for a judicial appointment in Massachusetts in 1985.[4] In 1989, Governor Michael Dukakis selected Meagher to serve on the Boston Municipal Court.[4] Meagher was sworn in on May 3, 1989.[4] He retired in 2006.[9]
Personal[]
Meagher is a recovering alcoholic who achieved sobriety in 1975; he came out of the closet shortly thereafter.[5]
References[]
- ^ a b Finn, Marie T. (September 2006). The American Bench: Judges of the Nation 2007. Forster Long LLC. ISBN 9780931398544.
- ^ Lesbian-gay Law Notes
- ^ Boston College Bulletin, Law, 1966
- ^ a b c d Chuck Colbert, A Judicial Orientation Archived 2011-04-27 at the Wayback Machine, Boston Spirit Magazine (November 18, 2008).
- ^ a b Loren King, Retired Judge Dermot Meagher shares tales from the inner sanctum in his new book, "Judge Sentences.", Provincetown Banner (September 18, 2010).
- ^ Judge Profile: Dermot Meagher, Martindale.
- ^ University, Harvard (1970). Harvard Alumni Bulletin. Harvard Alumni Association. p. 14.
- ^ a b c d e f Meagher, Dermot J. (December 2013). Lyons At The Gate: Further Adventures Of Judge Joe Lyons. CreateSpace. ISBN 9781481953900.
- ^ Judge shares ‘Tales from the Bench’
- 1940 births
- People from Worcester, Massachusetts
- Living people
- Harvard University alumni
- Boston College Law School alumni
- LGBT appointed officials in the United States
- LGBT judges
- LGBT people from Massachusetts
- Gay men
- Massachusetts state court judges
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- 20th-century American judges
- 21st-century LGBT people