Governor Baker Nominates Helen White as Clerk Magistrate of the Charlestown Division of the Boston Municipal Court

Governor Baker Nominates Helen White as Clerk Magistrate of the Charlestown Division of the Boston Municipal Court

BOSTON — Today, Governor Charlie Baker nominated Helen White as Clerk Magistrate of the Charlestown Division of the Boston Municipal Court.

“Helen White’s decades of experience in the Boston Municipal Court’s Dorchester Division have greatly prepared her for this office,” said Governor Charlie Baker. "I look forward to the consideration of her nomination by the Governor’s Council."

"Helen White has dedicated her career to the Trial Court, and her years of experience clearly demonstrate her commitment to public service and her community,” 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 Clerk Magistrate.”

The Boston Municipal Court Department has 30 judges serving the City of Boston in 8 court divisions located in Brighton, Central (downtown), Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Roxbury, South Boston, and West Roxbury. Besides both criminal and civil cases, the Boston Municipal Court Department also has jurisdiction to review some government agency actions, such as unemployment compensation appeals and firearms license appeals.

The Boston Municipal Court Department is devoted to the rule of law through the conscientious and expeditious resolution of disputes, with a commitment to restoring the human spirit through correction, education, respect and compassion.

For more information about the Housing 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 Helen White

Helen White began her career in 1993 as a Courtroom Procedures Clerk for the Boston Municipal Court. In this role, she helped assistant clerk magistrates with session work, provided jury trial training to assistant clerks, and assisted the public, lawyers and litigants with court questions and general information. She also served from 1994 until 2000 as a Sessions Clerk, clerking court sessions and assisting judges with internal and external case information and mental health hearings. In 2000, Ms. White became an Operations Supervisor at the Boston Municipal Court, a position she held until 2014. There, she handled a wide range of matters including supervising the activities performed in all work units within the office, training staff on new procedures and troubleshooting unusual work situations. Since 2015, Ms. White has served as the Assistant Clerk Magistrate for the Dorchester Division of the Boston Municipal Court, reviewing police reports, criminal complaints, affidavits and warrants, as well as conducting show cause hearings and presiding over small claims trials. Ms. White is a certified official in basketball, hockey and lacrosse. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and her Masters Degree in Education from Cambridge College