Margot Botsford
Margot Botsford was a justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. She was appointed to this court by Democratic Governor Deval Patrick on July 26, 2007.[1] She took the bench on September 4, 2007.[2] Her term ended in March 2017, when she reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. She was succeeded by Elspeth Cypher.
Education
Botsford received her B.A. from Barnard College in 1969 and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in 1973. In 2007, she earned an M.P.A. degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.[3]
Career
- 2007-2017: Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- 1989-2007: Judge, Massachusetts Superior Courts
- 1986-1989: Partner, Rosenfeld, Botsford & Krokidas
- 1984-1985: Attorney, Hill & Barlow
- 1978-1984: Assistant District Attorney, Middlesex County
- 1974-1978: Assistant Attorney General
- 1973-1974: Law clerk, Justice Francis Quirico of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court[3]
Awards and associations
Awards
- Haskell Cohn Distinguished Judicial Service Award, Boston Bar Association
- Judicial Excellence Award, Massachusetts Judicial Conference
- Judicial Excellence Award, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Lawyers[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.
Botsford received a campaign finance score of -1.15, 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]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ "Margot Botsford SJC Pick," Massachusetts Law Updates, July 27, 2007 (dead link)
- ↑ "Supreme Judicial Court Justice Sworn into Office," Office of the Governor
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Botsford's Biography from Mass.gov
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
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
