Governor Baker Nominates John P. Pappas as Associate Justice of the Superior Court, Raquel D. Ruano as Associate Justice of the District Court and Teresa F. Lamarre as Circuit Justice of the District Court
BOSTON — Today, Governor Charlie Baker nominated John P. Pappas as Associate Justice of the Superior Court, Raquel D. Ruano as Associate Justice of the District Court and Teresa F. Lamarre as Circuit Justice of the District Court.
"Attorneys Pappas, Ruano and Lamarre have many years of experience that will serve them well in their respective appointments," said Governor Charlie Baker. "I am pleased to submit these qualified candidates to the Governor's Council for their advice and consent."
"Each of these qualified attorneys has meaningful experience in serving the Commonwealth,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “If approved, I am confident that they will be fair and thoughtful members of the judiciary.”
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.
The District Court hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other types of cases. District Court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence up to five years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties; all misdemeanors; and all violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws. The District Court is located in 62 courts across the Commonwealth.
For more information about the District Court, 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 John P. Pappas
John P. Pappas began his law career in 1994 as an Assistant District Attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, where he has worked his entire career. He has held roles in a variety of units, including the Homicide Unit, the Senior Trial Unit and the Gang Unit. Attorney Pappas was then named the Chief Trial Counsel in 2011, where he provided guidance to prosecutors appearing before the Superior Court in addition to his own cases, which focused on homicide investigations and police involved shootings. Following Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley’s resignation in 2018, Attorney Pappas was appointed to serve as the Interim District Attorney to finish his term. Currently, Attorney Pappas is serving as the Senior Trial Counsel. Outside of the law, he volunteers with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Reading Program at Lee Elementary School and has previously volunteered as a coach with Parkway Youth Sports in both football and baseball. In 2003 Attorney Pappas won the Newman A Flanagan Award for outstanding Superior Court Prosecutor. And in 2016 he was named the William C. O’Malley Prosecutor of the Year, awarded annually by the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association Attorney Pappas received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1982 and his Juris Doctorate from the New England School of Law in 1993.
About Raquel D. Ruano
Raquel D. Ruano began her legal career in 2004 as an Assistant District Attorney with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. She served in several different roles, including in the Major Felony Unit and as the Supervisor of the Assistant District Attorneys. In 2007, Attorney Ruano became an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Boston, where she represented the city in civil litigation. From 2012 until 2019, she owned and operated Ruano Law Office, which handled many different areas of law including criminal defense, family law and civil rights cases. While managing her private practice, Attorney Ruano also served as the First Assistant City Attorney for the City of Lawrence. In 2019 she was promoted to the position of City Attorney and served solely in that capacity since. Outside of the law, she volunteers with the College of the Holy Cross Mentor Program and previously served with the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys and the Essex County Bar Advocate Program. Attorney Ruano received her bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross in 2000, and her Juris Doctorate from Boston College Law School in 2003.
About Teresa F. Lamarre
Teresa F. Lamarre began her legal career in 1991 as the Chief Prosecutor of the Springfield District Court for the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office. Attorney Lamarre then joined the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney attached the to the Grand Jury Unit, and later became the Supervisor of the Fall River District Court, overseeing the Court’s assistant district attorneys and its support staff until 2006. In 2007, she joined the Criminal Justice Department at Bristol Community College as an adjunct professor. From 2009 until 2012, Attorney Lamarre served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Fair Labor Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, where she prosecuted violations of Massachusetts wage and hour statutes. She then became a Student Services Advocate with the New Bedford Public Schools until 2013, where she consulted on disciplinary hearings involving students with disabilities and advocated for programs to reduce the system’s dropout rates. Attorney Lamarre was a solo practitioner from 2015 to 2017 specializing in criminal defense and child welfare, and until 2021 served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and Supervisor of the Wareham District Court. Currently, Attorney Lamarre is the Assistant Clerk Magistrate of the Massachusetts Trial Court. Outside of the law, she currently is a board member of the Stoneledge Beach Association, and previously was a member of the Bishop Stang High School PTO. Attorney Lamarre received her bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College in 1987 and her Juris Doctorate from the Western New England School of Law in 1991
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