Ralph D. Gants
Ralph D. Gants was the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He served on the court from 2009 to 2020. On September 14, 2020, Gants passed away.[1]
Gants was appointed to the court by Governor Deval Patrick (D) to replace retired Justice John Greaney. He took his oath on January 29, 2009.
On April 17, 2014, Gants was nominated by Governor Patrick to serve as the chief justice of the court, effective following Chief Justice Roderick Ireland's retirement on July 25, 2014.[2]
Education
Gants received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1976. He earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1980. He also earned a diploma in criminology from Cambridge University in 1977.[1][3]
Career
- 2014-2020: Chief justice, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- 2009-2014: Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- 1997-2009: Judge, Massachusetts Superior Courts
- 1991-1997: Partner, Palmer and Dodge, L.L.P.
- 1983-1991: Assistant U.S. Attorney
- 1981-1983: Special assistant to the director, Federal Bureau of Investigation
- 1980-1981: Law clerk, U.S. District Court Judge Eugene H. Nickerson[3]
Political outlook
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Gants received a campaign finance score of -0.82, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was more liberal than the average score of -0.44 that justices received in Massachusetts.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[4]
Noteworthy cases
Lunn v. Commonwealth
On July 24, 2017, a unanimous Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that Massachusetts law does not authorize state court officials to detain someone based solely on a request by federal immigration authorities.[5] Federal authorities make that request using a civil immigration detainer. As the federal government acknowledged, the court wrote, civil immigration detainers “are simply requests. They are not commands, and they impose no mandatory obligations on the State authorities to which they are directed.” Therefore, the court said, the question was whether state law authorized court officials to detain someone based solely on a civil detainer. Noting the specific circumstances under which state laws empower court officials to arrest or detain someone, the court ruled that “Massachusetts law provides no authority for Massachusetts court officers to arrest and hold an individual solely on the basis of a Federal civil immigration detainer, beyond the time that the individual would otherwise be entitled to be released from State custody.”[5]
See also
External links
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court website
- Boston Criminal Attorney Blog, "Massachusetts cell phone records & police investigations: SJC tells police: Get a search warrant first," February 19, 2014
- Jurist, "Massachusetts high court rules against banks in crucial foreclosure case," January 9, 2011
- AmericanTowns.com, "Patrick Nominates Esteemed Superior Court Justice Ralph Gants to State's Highest Court," December 2, 2008
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 10 Boston, "Ralph Gants, Chief Justice of Massachusetts' Top Court, Dies," September 14, 2020
- ↑ Boston Globe, "Patrick nominates Ralph Gants as next SJC chief," April 17, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Supreme Judicial Court, "Justice Ralph D. Gants Biography," archived June 24, 2013
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Massachusetts Supreme Court, Lunn v. Commonwealth Slip opinion, filed July 24, 2017
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Massachusetts • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Massachusetts
State courts:
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court • Massachusetts Appeals Court • Massachusetts Superior Courts • Massachusetts District Courts • Massachusetts Housing Courts • Massachusetts Juvenile Courts • Massachusetts Land Courts • Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts • Boston Municipal Courts, Massachusetts
State resources:
Courts in Massachusetts • Massachusetts judicial elections • Judicial selection in Massachusetts
