PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT
John Adams Courthouse
One Pemberton Square
Boston, Massachusetts 02108

CONTACT: 
Jennifer Donahue/Erika Gully-Santiago                   
PublicInfo@sjc.state.ma.us                          

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2024

Honorable Dana M. Gershengorn Appointed
Chief Justice of the Juvenile Court

BOSTON, MA -- Trial Court Chief Justice Heidi E. Brieger today announced the appointment of Judge Dana M. Gershengorn as Chief Justice of the Juvenile Court for a five-year term in accordance with G.L. c.211B, §5, effective June 29, 2024. She will succeed Chief Justice Amy L. Nechtem who will retire from the bench on June 28, 2024, after 23 years.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Associate Justice Dana Gershengorn to lead the Juvenile Court in promoting positive outcomes for Massachusetts children and families,” said Chief Justice Brieger. “Judge Gershengorn has the experience and leadership skills to successfully guide the Juvenile Court. She is recognized by her colleagues for her thoughtful and clear approach, legal acumen, and judicial temperament. She understands that prompt, efficient resolution of legal issues is critical to attaining permanent placements for children.”

Judge Gershengorn was appointed to the Juvenile Court in 2009 and serves in the Plymouth County Juvenile Court Division. She sits on several committees, including the Supreme Judicial Court Advisory Committee on Massachusetts Evidence Law and served on the Juvenile Court Education Committee. She also co-chaired the Trial Court’s Innovation Grant Committee.

“It's an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to serve as the next Chief Justice of the Juvenile Court and to have the confidence of Chief Justice Brieger and my colleagues,” said Judge Gershengorn. “I appreciate the excellent stewardship of Chief Justice Nechtem and look forward to collaborating with my judicial colleagues to drive the court’s priorities forward.”

Chief Justice Nechtem served on the Juvenile Court since 2001 and as Chief Justice since 2014. “She introduced the PATHS (Prevention and Treatment for the Health and Safety of Children and Families) Family Treatment Courts, a first in the nation model. The Commonwealth has been fortunate to have Chief Justice Nechtem’s leadership and vision,” said Chief Justice Brieger.

Judge Gershengorn began her legal career in 1994 as an assistant district attorney in Middlesex County where she served in the Child Abuse Unit and was later an assistant attorney general in the Environmental Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office. She served several years as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in Washington, D.C. She returned to Massachusetts in 2005 to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney where she was responsible for all the Child Exploitation matters prosecuted federally in the Commonwealth. She was appointed deputy chief of the Major Crimes Unit in 2008. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Judge Gershengorn and Court Administrator Thomas G. Ambrosino will reappoint Thomas R. Capasso as Deputy Court Administrator for the Juvenile Court.

The Juvenile Court Department is comprised of 11 divisions with 42 authorized judicial positions across the Commonwealth. The Massachusetts Trial Court includes seven court departments with 393 judges who deliver justice in 94 courthouses across the state.

###