Governor Baker Nominates Boston Municipal Court Associate Justice Catherine H. Ham as Associate Justice of the Superior Court

 Governor Baker Nominates Boston Municipal Court Associate Justice Catherine H. Ham as Associate Justice of the Superior Court

 

BOSTON — Today, Governor Charlie Baker nominated Judge Catherine H. Ham of the Boston Municipal Court as Associate Justice of the Superior Court. Judge Ham has more than 15 years of legal experience.

 

“Judge Ham has the temperament, dedication and years of experience to well serve the people of the Commonwealth on the Superior Court,” said Governor Charlie Baker. "I am pleased to submit this candidate to the Governor's Council for their advice and consent."

 

"Judge Ham’s dedication to public service and the legal community at large has prepared her for the Superior Court,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “If confirmed by the Governor’s Council, I am confident that she will continue to serve the Commonwealth well as an Associate Justice of the Superior Court.”

 

The Superior Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Massachusetts, is committed to delivering high quality justice in a timely and fair manner in accordance with the rule of law. The Court's 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 counties of the Commonwealth. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $25,000 and in matters where equitable relief is sought. It also has original jurisdiction in actions including labor disputes where injunctive relief is sought, exclusive authority to convene medical malpractice tribunals, appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative proceedings, and may hold sittings for naturalization in any city or town. The Superior Court also has exclusive original jurisdiction of first-degree murder cases and original jurisdiction of all other crimes.

 

For more information about the Superior Court, please visit their homepage.

  

Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth's diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April 2015.

 

About Catherine H. Ham

 

Judge Catherine H. Ham began her legal career in 2004 as a staff attorney for the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts’ Benefits and Family Unit. While there, Judge Ham represented indigent persons and domestic violence victims in Probate Court. From 2005 to 2019, Judge Ham worked as an Assistant District Attorney, first for the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and then for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, where she tried cases for the Homicide, Senior Trial, and Child Protection units.  In 2019, she was appointed by Governor Baker to her current position as Associate Justice of the Boston Municipal Court, where she has presided over everything from criminal and civil trials to mental health civil commitments. Judge Ham is also an active member of the Justice Harry J. Elam Judicial Conference, the Boston Inn of Court, and the National Association of Women Judges. She also is an Associate Editor of the Massachusetts Law Review. Attorney Ham earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Haverford College and her Juris Doctorate from the New England School of Law.