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United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
(D. Mass.)
Location	John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse (Boston) More locations Harold D. Donohue Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (Worcester); Springfield; New Bedford;
Appeals to	First Circuit
Established	September 24, 1789
Judges	13
Chief Judge	F. Dennis Saylor IV
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney	Joshua S. Levy
U.S. Marshal	Brian A. Kyes
	www.mad.uscourts.gov

The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States.^[1] The first court session was held in Boston in 1789. The second term was held in Salem in 1790 and court session locations alternated between the two cities until 1813. That year, Boston became the court's permanent home. A western division was opened in Springfield in 1979 and a central division was opened in Worcester in 1987. The court's main building is the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse on Fan Pier in South Boston.

Appeals from the District of Massachusetts are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, also located in the Moakley courthouse (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

Jurisdiction

The District of Massachusetts has three court divisions:

The Eastern Division, covering Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk counties. Cases filed in the Eastern Division are heard in Boston.

The Central Division, covering Worcester county. Cases filed in the Central Division are heard in Worcester.

The Western Division, covering Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties. Cases filed in the Western Division are heard in Springfield.

U.S. Attorney's Office

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of November 25, 2024^[update] the U.S. attorney is Joshua S. Levy.^[2]

Federal Public Defender's Office

The Federal Public Defender's Office represents individuals who cannot afford to hire a lawyer in federal criminal cases and related matters. The office is assigned to cases by the district courts in three districts (New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts), and by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.^[3]

Current judges

As of December 6, 2024^[update]:

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Active	Chief	Senior	Appointed by
42	Chief Judge	F. Dennis Saylor IV	Boston	1955	2004–present	2020–present	—	G.W. Bush
35	District Judge	Nathaniel M. Gorton	Boston	1938	1992–present	—	—	G.H.W. Bush
38	District Judge	Richard G. Stearns	Boston	1944	1993–present	—	—	Clinton
43	District Judge	Denise J. Casper	Boston	1968	2010–present	—	—	Obama
45	District Judge	Indira Talwani	Boston	1960	2014–present	—	—	Obama
46	District Judge	Mark G. Mastroianni	Springfield	1964	2014–present	—	—	Obama
47	District Judge	Leo T. Sorokin	Boston	1961	2014–present	—	—	Obama
48	District Judge	Allison D. Burroughs	Boston	1961	2014–present	—	—	Obama
49	District Judge	Angel Kelley	Boston	1967	2021–present	—	—	Biden
50	District Judge	Margaret R. Guzman	Worcester	1960	2023–present	—	—	Biden
51	District Judge	Myong J. Joun	Boston	1971	2023–present	—	—	Biden
52	District Judge	Julia Kobick	Boston	1983	2023–present	—	—	Biden
53	District Judge	Brian E. Murphy	Boston	1979	2024–present	—	—	Biden
30	Senior Judge	Rya W. Zobel	Boston	1931	1979–2014	—	2014–present	Carter
31	Senior Judge	William G. Young	Boston	1940	1985–2021	1999–2005	2021–present	Reagan
32	Senior Judge	Mark L. Wolf	Boston	1946	1985–2013	2006–2012	2013–present	Reagan
33	Senior Judge	Douglas P. Woodlock	Boston	1947	1986–2015	—	2015–present	Reagan
34	Senior Judge	Edward F. Harrington	inactive	1933	1988–2001	—	2001–present	Reagan
37	Senior Judge	Patti B. Saris	Boston	1951	1993–2024	2013–2019	2024–present	Clinton
40	Senior Judge	Michael Ponsor	Springfield	1946	1994–2011	—	2011–present	Clinton
41	Senior Judge	George A. O'Toole Jr.	Boston	1947	1995–2018	—	2018–present	Clinton

Vacancies and pending nominations

Seat	Prior judge's duty station	Seat last held by	Vacancy reason	Date of vacancy	Nominee	Date of nomination
7	Boston	F. Dennis Saylor IV	Senior status	July 31, 2025^[4]	–	–

Former judges

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	John Lowell	MA	1743–1802	1789–1801	—	—	Washington	elevation to 1st Cir.
2	John Davis	MA	1761–1847	1801–1841	—	—	J. Adams	resignation
3	Peleg Sprague	MA	1793–1880	1841–1865	—	—	Tyler	resignation
4	John Lowell	MA	1824–1897	1865–1879	—	—	Lincoln	elevation to 1st Cir.
5	Thomas Leverett Nelson	MA	1827–1897	1879–1897	—	—	Hayes	death
6	Francis Cabot Lowell	MA	1855–1911	1898–1905	—	—	McKinley	elevation to 1st Cir.
7	Frederic Dodge	MA	1847–1927	1905–1912	—	—	T. Roosevelt	elevation to 1st Cir.
8	James Madison Morton Jr.	MA	1869–1940	1912–1932	—	—	Taft	elevation to 1st Cir.
9	Elisha Hume Brewster	MA	1871–1946	1922–1941	—	1941–1946	Harding	death
10	James Arnold Lowell	MA	1869–1933	1922–1933	—	—	Harding	death
11	Hugh Dean McLellan	MA	1876–1953	1932–1941	—	—	Hoover	resignation
12	George Clinton Sweeney	MA	1895–1966	1935–1966	1948–1965	1966	F. Roosevelt	death
13	Francis Ford	MA	1882–1975	1938–1972	—	1972–1975	F. Roosevelt	death
14	Arthur Daniel Healey	MA	1889–1948	1941–1948	—	—	F. Roosevelt	death
15	Charles Edward Wyzanski Jr.	MA	1906–1986	1941–1971	1965–1971	1971–1986	F. Roosevelt	death
16	William T. McCarthy	MA	1885–1964	1949–1960	—	1960–1964	Truman	death
17	Bailey Aldrich	MA	1907–2002	1954–1959	—	—	Eisenhower	elevation to 1st Cir.
18	Anthony Julian	MA	1902–1984	1959–1972	1971–1972	1972–1984	Eisenhower	death
19	Andrew A. Caffrey	MA	1920–1993	1960–1986^{[Note 1]}	1972–1986	1986–1993	Eisenhower^{[Note 2]} Kennedy^{[Note 3]}	death
20	W. Arthur Garrity Jr.	MA	1920–1999	1966–1985	—	1985–1999	L. Johnson	death
21	Frank Jerome Murray	MA	1904–1995	1967–1977	—	1977–1995	L. Johnson	death
22	Levin H. Campbell	MA	1927–present	1971–1972	—	—	Nixon	elevation to 1st Cir.
23	Frank Harlan Freedman	MA	1924–2003	1972–1992	1986–1992	1992–2003	Nixon	death
24	Joseph L. Tauro	MA	1931–2018	1972–2013	1992–1999	2013–2018	Nixon	death
25	Walter Jay Skinner	MA	1927–2005	1973–1992	—	1992–2005	Nixon	death
26	A. David Mazzone	MA	1928–2004	1978–1993	—	1993–2004	Carter	death
27	Robert Keeton	MA	1919–2007	1979–2003	—	2003–2006	Carter	retirement
28	John J. McNaught	MA	1921–1994	1979–1991	—	—	Carter	retirement
29	David Sutherland Nelson	MA	1933–1998	1979–1991	—	1991–1998	Carter	death
36	Reginald C. Lindsay	MA	1945–2009	1993–2009	—	—	Clinton	death
39	Nancy Gertner	MA	1946–present	1994–2011	—	2011	Clinton	retirement
44	Timothy S. Hillman	MA	1948–present	2012–2022	—	2022–2024	Obama	retirement

^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 10, 1961, confirmed by the United States Senate on August 9, 1961, and received commission on August 16, 1961
^ Judge Caffrey was given a recess appointment by President Eisenhower.
^ Judge Caffrey was nominated by President Eisenhower but was appointed to the Court by (i.e., received his commission from) President Kennedy.

Chief judges

Chief Judge
Sweeney	1948–1965
Wyzanski	1965–1971
Julian	1971–1972
Caffrey	1972–1986
Freedman	1986–1992
Tauro	1992–1999
Young	1999–2005
Wolf	2005–2012
Saris	2013–2019
Saylor	2020–present

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.

A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.

When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

Succession of seats

Seat 1
Seat established on September 24, 1789 by 1 Stat. 73
John A. Lowell	1789–1801
Davis	1801–1841
Sprague	1841–1865
John Lowell	1865–1879
T. Nelson	1879–1897
F. Lowell	1898–1905
Dodge	1905–1912
Morton, Jr.	1912–1932
McLellan	1932–1941
Wyzanski, Jr.	1941–1971
Campbell	1971–1972
Freedman	1972–1992
Ponsor	1994–2011
Mastroianni	2014–present

Seat 2
Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 837 (temporary)
Seat made permanent on August 19, 1935 by 49 Stat. 659
Brewster	1922–1941
Healey	1941–1948
McCarthy	1949–1960
Caffrey	1961–1986
Harrington	1988–2001
Seat abolished on March 1, 2001 (temporary judgeship expired)

Seat 3
Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 837 (temporary)
Seat made permanent on August 19, 1935 by 49 Stat. 659
James A. Lowell	1922–1933
Sweeney	1935–1966
Murray	1967–1977
Mazzone	1978–1993
Gertner	1994–2011
Hillman	2012–2022
Guzman	2023–present

Seat 4
Seat established on May 31, 1938 by 52 Stat. 584 (temporary)
Seat made permanent on November 21, 1941 by 55 Stat. 773
Ford	1938–1972
Tauro	1972–2013
Sorokin	2014–present

Seat 5
Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 68
Aldrich	1954–1959
Julian	1959–1972
Skinner	1973–1992
Saris	1993–2024
Murphy	2024–present

Seat 6
Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80
Garrity, Jr.	1966–1985
Woodlock	1986–2015
Kelley	2021–present

Seat 7
Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
Keeton	1979–2003
Saylor IV	2004–present

Seat 8
Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
McNaught	1979–1991
Stearns	1993–present

Seat 9
Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
D. Nelson	1979–1991
Lindsay	1993–2009
Casper	2010–present

Seat 10
Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
Zobel	1979–2014
Burroughs	2014–present

Seat 11
Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333
Wolf	1985–2013
Talwani	2014–present

Seat 12
Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 (temporary)
Seat made permanent on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089
Young	1985–2021
Kobick	2023–present

Seat 13
Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089
Gorton	1992–present

Seat 14
Seat established on May 26, 1995 pursuant to 104 Stat. 5089 (temporary)
Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 2 on March 1, 2001
O'Toole, Jr.	1995–2018
Joun	2023–present

List of U.S. attorneys

Christopher Gore (1789–1796)
Harrison Gray Otis (1796)
John Davis (1796–1801)
George Blake (1801–1829)
Andrew Dunlop (1829–1835)
John Mills (1835–1841)
Franklin Dexter (1841–1845)
Robert Rantoul Jr. (1846–1849)
George Lunt (1850–1853)
Benjamin F. Hallett (1853–1857)
Charles L. Woodbury (1857–1861)
Richard Henry Dana Jr. (1861–1866)
George Stillman Hillard (1866–1870)
David H. Mason (1870–1873)
George P. Sanger (1873–1886)
George M. Stearns (1886–1887)
Owen A. Galvin (1887–1890)
Frank D. Allen (1890–1893)
Sherman Hoar (1893–1897)
Boyd B. Jones (1897–1901)
Henry P. Moulton (1901–1905)
Melvin O. Adams (1905–1906)
Asa P. French (1906–1914)
George Weston Anderson (1914–1917)
Thomas J. Boynton (1917–1920)
Daniel J. Gallagher (1920–1921)
Robert O. Harris (1921–1924)
Harold P. Williams (1925–1926)
Frederick H. Tarr (1926–1933)
Francis J. W. Ford (1933–1938)
John A. Canavan (1938–1939)
Edmund J. Brandon (1939–1946)
George F. Garrity (1946–1947)
William T. McCarthy (1947–1949)
George F. Garrity (1949–1953)
Anthony Julian (1953–1959)
Elliot Richardson (1959–1961)
W. Arthur Garrity Jr. (1961–1966)
Paul F. Markham (1966–1969)
Herbert F. Travers Jr. (1969–1971)
James N. Gabriel (1971–1972)
Joseph L. Tauro (1972)
James N. Gabriel (1973–1977)
Edward F. Harrington (1977–1981)
William F. Weld (1981–1986)
Robert Mueller Acting (1986–1987)
Frank L. McNamara Jr. (1987–1989)
Jermiah T. O'Sullivan Acting (1989)
Peter A. Mullin Acting (1989)
Wayne Budd (1989–1992)
A. John Pappalardo Acting (1992–1993)
Donald K. Stern (1993–2001)
Michael Sullivan (2001–2009)
Michael Loucks Acting (2009)
Carmen Ortiz (2009–2017)
William D. Weinreb Acting (2017)
Andrew Lelling (2017–2021)
Nathaniel R. Mendell Acting (2021–2022)
Rachael Rollins (2022–2023)
Joshua S. Levy (2023–present)

List of U.S. marshals

Jonathan Jackson (1789–1791)
John Brooks (1791–1796)
Samuel Bradford (1796–1804)
Thomson J. Skinner (1804–1807)
James Prince (1807–1821)
Samuel D. Harris (1821–1833)
Jonas L. Sibley (1833–1841)
Solomon Lincoln (1841–1844)
Isaac O. Barnes (1844–1850)
Charles Devens (1850–1853)
Watson Freeman (1853–1861)
John S. Keyes (1861–1867)
George Leonard Andrews (1867–1871)
Roland G. Usher (1871–1879)
Nathaniel P. Banks (1879–1888)
Henry B. Lovering (1888–1891)
William W. Doherty (1891–1894)
Henry W. Swift (1894–1899)
Charles K. Darling (1899–1908)
Guy Murchie Sr. (1908–1915)
John Joseph Mitchell (1915–1920)
Patrick J. Duane acting (1920–1921)
William J. Keville (1921–1934)
John J. Murphy (1934–1939)
J. Henry Goguen (1939–1947)
Arthur J. B. Cartier (1947–1953)
Robert H. Beaudreau (1953–1956)
Ralph W. Gray (1956–1961)
Robert F. Morey (1961–1969)
Albert A. Gammal Jr. (1969–1970)
John A. Birknes (1970–1977)
James I. Hartigan (1977–1981)
Bernard Stone acting (1981–1983)
James B. Roche III (1983–1990)
Thomas Nixon acting (1990–1991)
Robert T. Guiney (1991–1994)
Nancy McGillivray (1994–2002)
Anthony Dichio (2002–2005)
John Gibbons (2010–2021)
Brian A. Kyes (2023–present)

Notable cases

Ghen v. Rich (1881) (a whale is the property of the whaler who killed it, and not the person who found it dead on the beach).
2019 college admissions bribery scandal (2019)